PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE TLW IS FIGHTING FOR YOU
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y the time you are reading this, summer has come and gone, and I can truthfully say that most of us in the industry are saying good riddance! The Covid-19 virus is certainly something that none of us ever thought we would see in our lifetime. Our industry has been impacted like no other in the state of Wisconsin. We were shut down with just three hours notice on St. Patrick’s Day, one of our biggest days of the year. We then endured almost three months of being closed to the public with only the ability to serve our customers by carryout, and not everyone could take advantage of that leaving them closed completely. We missed three of our biggest holidays of the year. We managed to get our doors open for Memorial Day weekend thanks to the State Supreme Court decision striking down the Governor’s order. The TLW was instrumental in helping to achieve this goal by filing an amicus brief with the Court. Even before the Stay At Home order was struck down by the Court, the Tavern League manned all battle stations to help keep our members from sinking. It was something that we had never imagined—the complete shutdown of our entire industry. We bar and restaurant owners were staring ruin in the face. I know that I asked myself many a night, “How am I going to pay my bills, pay my employees and keep a roof over my family’s head?” It was an extremely stressful time for every single member. I may be a bit biased, but I am extremely glad I had the Tavern League of Wisconsin on my side. The TLW swung into action immediately, seeking relief from state and federal government agencies. We wrote to the Governor and his staff seeking guidance and help for our members and putting forth a proposal of how we could serve our customers safely
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while still trying to salvage our business. From Governor Ever’s we heard the resounding sound of SILENCE. We had better luck from the DOR getting relief from credit deadlines and consignment laws. We partnered with many other small business associations and reached out to our federal leadership and voiced our support for national programs like PPP and disaster loans. On a local level many county leagues petitioned their municipalities for discounts on liquor and other local license fees. State leadership and local league leaders went above and beyond to get the word out to all our members about what programs and help whether federal, state or local was available to them and their employees. The fight for our survival is not over yet, and it unfortunately looks like a long road ahead. Our members in Madison/ Dane County and Milwaukee continue to suffer the most due to restrictive Covid-19 measures by their local health departments. We are continuing to have meetings with the lawmakers from these areas to try and get some relief for these businesses while also doing our best to bring the plight of all our members to their attention. Relief will be a major focus of the TLW in the new legislative year, and I encourage all of our members to check out our endorsed candidates and talk to them and share your concerns about our future. Above all, get out and vote on November 3. Your vote may make the difference between success and failure for the future of our industry. Cheers!
Chris Marsicano TLW President
www.tlw.org
