Senate Democrats and Republicans finally found enough common ground to pass a Bucks arena financing bill on Wednesday, clearing what most observers believe will be the biggest hurdle towards building a new multi-purpose arena in downtown Milwaukee. Afterwards, Wisconsin Assembly leaders stated that a vote in the state's lower house could occur within a "few weeks," with key local approvals also requiring separate approval. Still, none of the remaining approvals are expected to be quite as challenging as the battle in the Senate, providing arena advocates plenty of reason to celebrate (at least for now).
The 21-10 final vote provided arena advocates a larger margin than most anyone expected, capping off weeks of grassroots advocacy from pro-arena fans and the Save Our Bucks group in particular.