MILWAUKEE — For the second straight election cycle, Milwaukee is gearing up to host a major political event next year when Republicans bring their nominating convention to town.
With plans now well underway, Spectrum News 1 Political Reporter Anthony DaBruzzi sat down one-on-one with Milwaukee Host Committee CEO Steve King for a behind-the-scenes look at the progress so far.
King: Number one—I guess would be we are here to represent the City of Milwaukee, the County of Milwaukee, the Greater Milwaukee area, and the State of Wisconsin. So, I guess if we are talking to a state of Wisconsin audience—we are here to represent them on behalf of the City of Milwaukee, which is the host. The guest in this case is the Republican National Committee. We are here, [and] much like a producer of a movie, [our job] is to represent. Our mission is to put the things in place, to maximize the economic impact for the City of Milwaukee, the County of Milwaukee, and maybe environments beyond that, and for the state for that matter. So, there is an economic mission for us. There is also the mission of putting Milwaukee on the map to the world.
King: I was very involved in the last real convention, which was 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. And we came out of that convention with a lot of people thinking, ‘What a great upper Midwest City on a lake to hold a convention.’ And they have successfully entertained, now, subsequent conventions in the city of Cleveland. We would like to repeat that here in Milwaukee.
King: That's a good question, I guess. But again, I don't view our job as being political. I mean, we are here representing the mayor, president of the Council, the City Council itself, all the officers of the city, the county executive, and all the people, and then working with the local law enforcement agencies. So, it's to their benefit. Again, this is not political. People think of it as political. Our job is not political. We are nonpartisan and nonpolitical, the Host Committee. Despite the fact that I may harbor Republican thoughts, I hope they have a great convention. But it's my job to put the tools in place on behalf of the City of Milwaukee to allow them to hold and have a successful convention.
King: As producers, on behalf of the city, it is our job to, as I said, put all the tools in place, starting with venues. We negotiate and we execute contracts with all the various venues that are going to be utilized during the convention. That includes the Fiserv Forum and [the] Wisconsin Center and Deer District. That includes hotels, motels, entertainment venues—all of that has to be put in place.
King: I get questioned a fair amount about—'What about security?’ That is not our job. The security will be in the hands of the United States Secret Service. They will parachute in here some time yet this year, and begin planning, just as they were doing for the presumed Democratic presidential nominee convention in 2020, which didn't occur, of course. And so, they will be in charge of security. And I can assure you, as such, having worked with them in Cleveland and Tampa, and a few other places, the secure zone in this city, for the week of July 15, will be the safest place to be in the world.
King: It’s historic. I mean these two conventions, and this one in particular, will nominate what Republicans obviously believe will be the next leader of the free world. Where was that person nominated? Where did they come from? Well, they were nominated by Republicans in convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.