In October 1995, George Petak changed the course of Major League Baseball in Wisconsin.
As a Republican State Senator at the time, Petak cast the deciding vote to provide public funding for the construction of Miller Park, a decision that cost him his senate seat but kept the Brewers in Milwaukee.
Petak, 75, died Tuesday after a long illness.
“Today is the 53rd anniversary of Dad’s surrendering his life to Jesus on Christmas Eve 1971. He went home to be with him on Christmas Eve 2024,” Petak’s son, Rev. Brian Petak, of Monument, Colorado, wrote on Facebook.
“I think God enjoys sweet timing like this – and we all now believe Dad wanted this timing as well. He has shared his testimony of coming to faith in Christ on Christmas Eve 1971 countless times,” Brian wrote.
Tributes come from Gov. Evers, former MLB Commissioner Selig
Word of Petak’s death, in Colorado, spread quickly through his many friends and notables including former Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and Gov. Tony Evers.
Former Senator George Petak, whose vote helped clear the way to create Miller Park, celebrates at tailgate party before the first Exhibition game, March 30, 2001. He was giving out Petak trading cards during the event.
“I was saddened to hear of the passing of George Petak. I spoke to George a couple of weeks ago and I think all of us should remember that he was a great hero in Milwaukee and Wisconsin,” Selig said in a statement.
“As so often happens, heroes have to pay a tough price, but he was willing to do so. So in the coming years when you enter American Family Field and think of the Brewers, remember George played a vital and very important part of keeping the Brewers in Wisconsin. He was in my mind always a true Milwaukee and Wisconsin hero,” Selig said.
Petak was a man of faith, courage, and principle. He truly had a servant’s heart, always leading with empathy and integrity to give back and do more for others, Evers said in a statement.
“Kathy and I join the people of Wisconsin in mourning the loss of Sen. Petak and offer our sincerest sympathies to his wife, kids, loved ones, and the many whose lives he touched,” Evers said.
The crucial vote that created Miller Park
In October 1995, despite strong objections from his constituents in Racine, Petak voted to support the 0.1% stadium sales tax for Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, Waukesha and Ozaukee counties. The tax raised around $600 million before it expired in 2020.
The proposed tax had failed in the senate twice before Petak changed his vote on the morning of Oct. 6, following 16 hours of deliberation on the third attempt.
The 16-15 decision in the senate put into motion the plan that created Miller Park.
At the time, the Brewers needed luxury boxes, club seats, restaurants, shops and expanded parking as the old County Stadium was deemed financially obsolete years earlier.
The Brewers said they would cover some of the cost and would sign a long-term lease for several million dollars a year, but around $180 million would fall to taxpayers, a divisive moment in Wisconsin politics.
“I did what I thought was in the best interests of the state and have been viewed as both a traitor and hero, all in the same breath, actually,” Petak said in a Journal Sentinel interview.
“I’m as convinced as I ever have been that losing major league baseball would be a devastating blow to the economy and the quality of life that a major league franchise brings to southeast Wisconsin,” he said. “None of that has changed. That has been my sentiment all along.”
Petak lost his seat in a recall election
Petak, who was 45 in 1995, had twice before won election, including in 1990 when he upset Senate Majority Leader Joseph Strohl.
But discontent surged after he voted to fund Miller Park.
In June 1996, Petak lost his Senate seat in a recall election.
“We have nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to be displeased with, but the voters have spoken,” he said. “I’m surprised by the outcome but not discouraged. We’re going to move forward.”
A man of character and integrity
Petak was known for living his faith and abiding by his convictions.
“He was one of the most principled and dedicated public servants I had the chance to work with in over 41 years in Madison,” said Tim Sheehy, recently retired president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
“He was a wonderful person. I know that may sound trite, but it’s true,” Sheehy said.
Had it not been for Petak, the Brewers wouldn’t still be in Milwaukee, said Craig Peterson, president and CEO of Zigman, Joseph & Associates, one of Wisconsin’s oldest government affairs firms.
“George Petak and the Milwaukee Brewers will always be entwined for the rest of history,” Peterson said.
Petak died in Colorado where he and his wife, Nancy, had lived in recent years.
“My Dad certainly fought the good fight and finished his race well,” Brian Pretak said on Facebook. “What a legacy he has left for all of us. A man of God with uncompromising integrity, a heart to serve, and a godly influence on so many.”
This article will updated as more information becomes available.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Obituary: George Petak cast the deciding vote to fund Miller Park
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