Denver forms Host Committee

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Once again, Denver is leading the organizational and PR pack: From the Cherry Creek News:

Denver will convene a Host Committee Breakfast, sponsored by local philanthropist Tim Gill, on Tuesday, February 21, 2006, at 8:00 a.m. the new Hyatt Regency Convention Center to gather community input and assistance in putting together a competitive bid and jumpstarting the necessary fundraising efforts. The Host Committee, co-chaired by City Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth [and others] ...; Colorado Democratic Party first vice chair Dan Slater will serve as vice chair; ... All funds for the Denver 2008 Host Committee will be raised through donations and sponsorships; no taxpayer funds will be used.

“We believe the combination of our central location, our fantastic convention and hotel facilities, and the political landscape in the Mountain West makes Denver an ideal location for the 2008 convention,” said Wedgeworth, who co-chaired the Colorado delegation to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.

...

“Once we receive the bid packet later this month, we will be in a better position to evaluate the feasibility and desirability of pursuing the convention from an economic development perspective,” said Mayor John Hickenlooper. “For many of us, this is not about partisan politics; it is about whether hosting a national convention - Democrat or Republican - can bring economic benefit to our city, region and state.”