The Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce has a new president: Former State Senator Dale Kooyenga. He sits down with WTMJ’s Libby Collins to discuss his history in the military, his time in politics, the challenges he faces coming into his new role, and what makes him ready for it. It’s all ahead on this edition of WTMJ Conversations! Listen in the player above.
A partial transcript is provided below, courtesy of eCourt Reporters.
LIBBY COLLINS: We’ve got something exciting coming up next summer, and that’s the RNC. What do you think is more challenging, is it finding places for people to stay and things to do or is it the security?
DALE KOOYENGA: Well, it depends on who you ask. If you ask the FBI and marshals and the police services, they’re going to say security, and their answer should be security because that’s their primary objective and that’s their role. If you’re talking to the Visit Milwaukee folks and talking to the Marcuses and the hotel folks, they’re going to say, well, it’s going to be lodging because that’s what they do, and that should be their number one. And if you have police more worried about lodging and you have the lodging people more worried about security, it’s all messed up.
So, it’s a coordinated effort. But the fact that everyone has a pleasant experience, and they walk away from Milwaukee saying this place is really the place you want to be, this is one of the great held secrets as far as what this region has to offer, it’s all very important.
