In the pageant of Capitol politics, the Tavern League of Wisconsin is like a beauty queen. She’s wonderfully attractive, wildly popular and everyone wants to date her. But lately, talk is turning. The beauty queen may not be so charming once she takes off her tiara. Not to mention her rhinestone-studded evening gown is starting to tatter with age. Word around the pageant is the beauty queen is falling out of favor and maybe it’s time to stop giving her so much attention.
Similar to a trade association for bar owners, the Tavern League is renowned for its effective lobbying at the Capitol. However, political winds are shifting and the Tavern League is not the powerhouse it once was. A growing concern over public health and safety has already fueled the passage of a statewide smoking ban. Tougher drunk driving laws are next. The Tavern League currently faces a difficult situation: how to fend for members’ bottom line without appearing indifferent to public concerns.
Despite the trouble they’re having now, the Tavern League, much like the beauty queen, once reigned uncontested.
“The Tavern League has an extraordinary influence. … over the psyche of this legislature,” says Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar. “I’ve not seen any evidence the Tavern League can affect an election, but there is clearly a psychological belief that they can.”
The legislature’s reluctance to pass a statewide smoking ban is emblematic of the Tavern League’s grip over the Capitol. Although public support for the ban was overwhelming as early as 2007, lawmakers refused to legitimize the issue until this year because of opposition from the Tavern League, according to Maureen Busalacchi, executive director of Smoke Free Wisconsin.
“In the last legislative session there was a lot of public demand to move forward,” Busalacchi says. “It was at a fever pitch to get the legislation moving … and leaders in both houses, from both parties just said ‘no’.”
The Tavern League said they believed the smoking ban would hurt small business. They remained fervently opposed to a statewide smoking ban up until this year when they folded to public pressure and agreed to compromise with anti-smoking organizations.
Just like the beauty queen, the Tavern League has always been able to turn on the charm to get its way.
“We have members in every legislative district,” says Scott Stenger, long-time lobbyist for the Tavern League. A dominant man in both physique and personality, Stenger has a strong grip on Tavern League policy and has mastered the art of rhetoric. His impressive office features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the great dome of the Capitol building. Though he is well known by his political neighbors, he’s not always well liked.
“Unlike most other interest groups, all the members of the Tavern League … have relationships with their legislator,” Stenger says. “We’re effective in communicating our message and I think that is what’s critical.”
Like a beauty queen with a silver tongue, the Tavern League is certainly effective in getting their message across. From 2003 to 2008, 60 percent of the issues the group took a stance on were successful, according to a review of state records conducted by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Operating with nearly 5,000 affiliates across the state, Tavern League members are your legislator’s drinking buddies. They are present at the epicenter of many rural towns and are a well-liked organization in most places. In 2008, Tavern League members donated nearly $5 million to Wisconsin charities.
“[The Tavern League] is small business. They’re in everyone’s community. They’re in rural Wisconsin,” says Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah. Kaufert is a member of the Tavern League and still attends the fish fry at his tavern every Friday night. “They’re part of the heritage and part of the culture.”
The Tavern League can really turn up the heat on big issues, according to Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison. Tavern League members will often make phone calls, write letters, send e-mails and even appear in large numbers at the Capitol. Lawmakers often have a hard time saying “no” to their barstool neighbors.
“Legislators respond well to noise,” Jauch says. “[The Tavern League is] a noisy group … They speak loudly and their members are boisterous.”
But recently, the Tavern League has not been the only squawk box making noise. Concerned citizens have been just as active, prompting some lawmakers to finish their smoking ban victory lap and start getting tougher on drunken driving.It seems this beauty queen is beginning to lose her power over the judges.
Eric Peterson, chief of staff for Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, has spent months helping craft legislation to combat drunken driving and believes the Tavern League’s populist appeal may be waning.
According to Peterson, the Tavern League is losing clout.
“It’s a shift in cultural understanding that it’s not just something that needs to be done on the personal level,” he says. “Stopping the bad things that happen because of smoking … and tragedies that happen from drunk driving are … things we all can do as a collective, as a society.”
Peterson is right if proposed laws are any reflection of societal values. Already in this legislative session, a statewide smoking ban has been signed into law and a slew of bills have been proposed to stiffen penalties for people who drive drunk.
The public’s concern over drunken driving has been ramped up in recent years. Wisconsin is one of the most lenient states when it comes to this issue and has one of the country’s highest DUI-related fatality rates to match, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
“There’s certainly been a constant drumbeat of news talking about … fatal accidents and terrible tragedies,” says Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison. “The people who are concerned about [drunken driving] have gotten organized … and started speaking out, and that makes a big difference.”
Of the proposed bills relating to the treatment and enforcement of drunken driving, two include raising taxes on alcohol. One bill even suggests raising the tax on beer, something that has not been done since 1969.
Jauch believes the Tavern League must be cautious in their stance on drunken driving reform. Their reputation has already suffered from the prolonged fight they put up over the smoking ban and any more damage could leave the beauty queen’s dress threadbare.
“I think their organization looked out of touch. Their position [on the smoking ban] was unrealistic. They were in denial of reality,” Jauch says. “[The Tavern League] has to be very careful. If they come out appearing to oppose drunk driving bills, then they are in some real trouble. So they have to walk a fine line as an organization.”
Officially, the Tavern League believes laws need to be stricter for people who repeatedly drive drunk – just as long as the alcohol industry doesn’t have to foot the bill. So far this year, the Tavern League has only opposed drunken driving legislation that involves raising taxes on alcohol to fund stricter laws. According to the Tavern League, any rise in alcohol tax would inevitably lead to job loss.
“Good public policy is often times at odds with many in the business community,” Stenger says. “There are very few drunk driving bills we don’t support. … But thinking you can raise the tax and it would fix drunk driving is flawed.”
Some question the seriousness of the Tavern League when they say they support tougher laws.
“In their heart of hearts, they’d sooner rather not have stricter laws,” Black says. “But public opinion is overwhelming. Like an army they have to fall back to a more defensible position.”
Regardless of the Tavern League’s attitude toward cracking down on drunken driving, the biggest roadblock remains how to fund tougher laws that will put a greater burden on the state’s judicial system. While lawmakers have begun to line up on the side of taxing alcohol, it would be foolish to expect the same from the Tavern League.
Reforming drunken driving laws may not keep taverns full and beer flowing, but it would help keep our roads safe. After all, patrons would hopefully drink a lot less if a drunken driving arrest meant prison time rather than a traffic ticket.
While the Tavern League may recognize the serious nature of Wisconsin’s drunken driving habit, they are not going to willingly combat it on their dime. At the end of the day, the Tavern League is made up of business owners who are concerned about dollars and cents. Stenger says it best himself: the best interest of the public is usually in conflict with the best interest of the business owner.
It would seem when you get past all the sparkles and make-up, our beauty queen is like any other person: looking after her best interests first. After all her years on top, people are starting to question her authority. Is she still relevant and worth the vote?