Word has it that Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has included $1 million dollars for Green Bay in his budget, as a public safety reimbursement for hosting the 2025 NFL Draft (story HERE).

Yes. That’s absolutely warranted. And a question. How is this money not already not allocated?

This is supposed to be a positive article, so I certainly don’t want that question to set the entire tone. Instead, I want to focus on why Green Bay should get the money, and why it should also be $1.5 million to include Ashwaubenon reimbursement as well.

Let’s begin with the fact that this is public safety. This is about keeping people safe when the world is watching. This isn’t money being used for some bizarre experiments that the general public will never benefit from, or some ad campaign that will only serve a particular special interest lobby. This is important.

And now that the bell has been run, I don’t think elected officials can really turn this down.

Do you really want to be the voice of resistance for fairly compensating our police officers for working overtime at the biggest event Green Bay has ever seen? No way.

Then, heaven forbid something should actually happen. We know we’ve got eyes on everything, and every possible scenario has been thought out by our local leaders. This is especially why they shouldn’t be looking at the cash register for the draft and having to skimp in areas that could become a dangerous liability.

Too often, state lawmakers use state dollars for projects that will only make them look good. Both parties are guilty of this.

Here we have a chance to ensure that everyone in Wisconsin looks good by making the 2025 NFL Draft the safest event of it’s kind in history.