SOLEDAD: HOPE AND EXCITEMENT SURROUNDED THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE LANDING THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION. IT WAS ORIGINALLY EXPECTED TO DRAW ABOUT 50,000 PEOPLE. NOW THE CONVENTION HAS BEEN PUSHED FROM JULY TO AUGUST, AND IT’S UNCLEAR WHETHER IT WOULD BE HELD IN PERSON OR VIRTUALLY DU TO THE PANDEMIC. THERE’S A LOT A STAKE FOR MILWAUKEE IN TERMS OF INVESTMENTS THAT WERE MADE, BUILDING PROJECTS UNDERWAY, AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT COME WITH BEING IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGH I SPOKE WITH MILWAUKEE MAYOR TOM BARRETT VIA SKYPE. MILWAUKEE MAYOR TOM BARRETT, THANK YOU FOR TALKING WITH ME. SO 50,000 PEOPLE ARE EXPECTED. YOU PUT A LOT OF INVESTMENT IN YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE SO FAR. AS OF THIS MOMENT WHAT’S GOING , INTO YOUR DECISION MAKING? DO YOU KNOW WHERE YOU’RE LEANING TOWARD TOM: WELL, PUBLIC HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH, PUBLIC HEALTH IS THE OBVIOUS ANSWER TO THAT. I TALKED TO TOM PEREZ, THE CHAIRMAN, THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION, JUST YESTERDAY. AND WE TALKED ABOUT HOW THAT HAS TO BE PARAMOUNT. BUT WE KNOW FOR CERTAIN THAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO BE NOMINATING JOE BIDEN TO BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. AND THEY’RE GOING TO DO THAT IN MILWAUKEE. AND WE WANT TO USE THIS AS A SPRINGBOARD BOTH LOCALLY FOR O BUSINESSES, HOTELS OUR , RESTAURANTS. BUT WE ALSO WANT TO SHOW THE NATION HOW A COMMUNITY BOUNCES BACK FROM THIS PANDEMIC. BUT WE’RE GONNA DO IT IN A WAY THAT’S SAFE AND THAT’S IMPORTANT. AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT WE SOLEDAD: YOUR OWN HEAD OF PUBLIC HEALTH HAS SAID SHE’D LOVE TO SEE A VIRTUAL CONVENTION. WOULD YOU AGREE WITH HER ON THAT? TOM: WELL, WHAT HER QUOTE WAS ACTUALLY A MORE VIRTUAL CONVENTION AND IT WILL BE A MO VIRTUAL CONVENTION THAN 50,000 PEOPLE. WE KNOW THAT. WE KNOW THAT THEY’RE ARE GOING TO BE SOME DELEGATES WHO ARE NOT GOING TO WANT TO TRAVEL. AND IT’S NOT BECAUSE OF MILWAUKEE. THEY JUST ARE NOT GOING TO WANT TO TRAVEL. BUT WE ALSO BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE GOING TO BE INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL BE HERE AND WE HAVE TO BE NIMBLE AND WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT NOBODY REALLY EXPECTED ANY OF THI THIS IS ALL UNPREDICTABLE AND WE HAVE TO BE WILLING TO MA CHANGES AT A MINUTE’S NOTICE SOMETIME SOLEDAD: YOU’VE ALREADY MADE SOME HEFTY INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE. WHAT DO YOU STAND TO LOSE IF THIS IS DOWNSIZED OR DOWNGRADED OR GOES 100% VIRTUAL? TOM: WELL, BEAR IN MIND THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE STATE OF WISCONSIN THAT WE’RE HAVING A MAJOR POLITICAL PARTY CONVENTION IN WISCONSIN OR MILWAUKEE. SO OBVIOUSLY, PEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THE CHANGE OF EVENTS. BUT IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO KEEP THIS IN PERSPECTIVE. 100,000 PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN TH COUNTRY BECAUSE OF THIS PANDEMIC. MILLIONS OF PEOPLE HAVE LOST THEIR JO . BUSINESSES HAVE CLOSED, AND THEY’RE GOING TO BE MORE ECONOMIC SETBACKS THAT ARE GOING TO OCCUR. SO IS IS UPSET IS WE ARE IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS, WE HAVE TO REALIZE THAT THERE’S MORE AT STAKE HERE THAN WHAT WE’RE GOING TO HAVE IN MILWAUKEE IN AUGUST SOLEDAD: MILWAUKEE HAS WANTED TO TURN THE PAGE. I THINK MAYBE WHAT PEOPLE HA HISTORICAL -- WHO DON’T LIVE IN WISCONSIN -- THOUGHT ABOUT MILWAUKEE AND KIND OF CREATE A NEW NARRATIVE. HOW BIG OF AN EMOTIONAL LOSS, FOR LACK OF A BETTER PHRASE, IS IT IF YOU’RE UNABLE TO PULL THIS OFF IN THE WAY YOU WANT TO PULL IT OFF? TOM: WELL, WE BELIEVE THAT WE’RE STILL GOING TO BE ABLE TO PULL SOMETHING OFF THAT WILL LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT MILWAUKEE IS ALL ABOUT. AND I’VE BEEN VERY, VERY CLEAR THAT MILWAUKEE HAS CHANGED. AND THERE’S A LOT OF GREAT THINGS GOING ON HERE. BUT WE ALSO DON’T SUGARCOAT IT. WE’VE GOT SOME REAL CHALLENGES IN POVERTY AND RACIAL ISSUES. AND THOSE ARE ISSUES THAT ARE NOT FOCUSED SOLELY IN MILWAUKEE. THEY’RE AMERICAN ISSUES. AND THAT’S PART OF WHAT THE DEMOCRATS WANT TO DO. THEY WANT TO NOT ONLY TALK ABOUT WHAT THESE ISSUES ARE, BUT TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO THEM. AND SO WE WANT TO BE PART OF THAT CONVERSATION. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE WANT TO BE PART OF THE ACTIONS THAT MOVE THE COUNTRY FORWARD. SOLEDA NORTH CAROLINA, AS YOU KNOW, IS IN THE SAME DISCUSSION, WHETHER THEY WILL HOLD THE GOP CONVENTION. WOULD YOU BE OPEN TO REPUBLICAN SAYING, LET’S GO TO THE LUCKY? TO I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THE REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS IN THE LUCKY IN 2024. THIS IS A BIG DEAL FOR US. THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE HOSTED A CONVENTION. WE ALSO KNOW THAT WE HAVE TO BE CAREFUL. I SAY THAT AS BEING PROBABLY THE BIGGEST CHEERLEADER FOR HAVING THE CONVENTION HERE. BUT I DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO LOSE THEIR LIVES, GET SICK. WE ARE GOING TO FOLLOW PUBLIC HEALTH. THAT IS IMPORTANT FOR US TO DO,