Wisconsin Center District says they're being left out of arena talks

 As plans for the new arena inch forward, a major player in paying for it said they're being disrespected and left out of important discussions.

Wisconsin Center District Chairman, Frank Gimbel, said the District has been the odd man out despite potentially contributing millions to funding the new arena.

The district controls the Convention Center, UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, and the Milwaukee Theater.

Under Governor Walkers plan, unveiled last week, the district would finance $93 million in bonding.

\"We are a stakeholder in the conversation, but we don't have a seat at the table,\" Gimbel said.

Gimbel contends that he is not against a new arena at all, but he's concerned and opposed to there having been plans implicating the Wisconsin Center District's economics without including them.

Gimbel added that the city needs to expand the Convention Center out to Kilbourn Ave and believes there's a way to do that and build a new downtown arena.

He wants the legislature to allow the district to increase the food and beverage tax by one half of one percent to accomplish that. 

Gimbel said many events that have come to Milwaukee are side stepping the city now because the Convention Center is too small.

He wants the expansion to be part of the new arena plans and still thinks there's time to add that in.

Both the Bucks and County Executive's Office said they had no comment on what Gimbel said.

The Mayor and Governor's Office both didn't respond.