Host Committee files disclosure forms

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Just when you thought that there couldn't be any more news on the convention the Host Committee files a 1400 page report listing their expenditures and donations.

The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee has filed a financial disclosure report with the Federal Election Commission that details $60.9 million in private support for Denver's hosting of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

The local host committee generated just over $55 million in cash contributions and $5.46 million of in-kind support. The balance of the $60.9 million is from interest income and miscellaneous refunds.

"Denver found incredible support from businesses and individuals across Colorado and the nation in its efforts to host the Democratic National Convention," said Host Committee President Elbra Wedgeworth. "This effort clearly demonstrates that Denver is a world-class city capable of generating significant private dollars to host major events."

The Denver Host Committee filed FEC Form 4, which is a 1,400-page report of receipts and disbursements for a committee or organization supporting nominating committees. The report, available at www.DenverConvention2008.com, outlines $53.67 million in operating expenses and total disbursements of $53.86 million.

The Host Committee still is receiving payment invoices from various contractors and vendors that will reduce the current cash balance of $7.1 million; the committee will file an amended report that details those expenses.

You can read the report here. Better yet... donate the 2 or 3 days it would have taken to read it to the Obama Campaign.

From Denver to St. Paul

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A look back, and a look forward.

First, from Denver:

In the beginning, they didn't even know whether they could land the Democratic National Convention. And toward the end, they didn't know whether they'd be able to raise all the money, or keep traffic moving, or maintain the peace among swarms of protesters promising to make their voices heard.

So Friday morning, in the glow of a convention gone mostly right, the men and women who brought it to Denver and worked to make it happen wore self-satisfied grins on faces that, just days before, had been etched with stress.
...
They could laugh about it Friday morning, gathered in Denver's performing arts center to assess the convention the morning after it ended with Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High.

But pulling it off was a long, difficult job that began 21/2 years ago when Elbra Wedgeworth, a member of the Denver City Council, began asking why the DNC couldn't be brought to her hometown.
...
Friday, it was all giddiness. The streets had been reopened. The weather had been perfect the night before. Downtown had seen an energy not common in these parts.

"Words really can't express how I feel right now," Wedgeworth said.

We wrote many posts on labor issues, protests, and money. The labor issues vanished, the protests were relatively minor, and while money was a big concern, it was all eventually raised.

St. Paul, weather permitting, has a tough act to follow:

In politics, there is a truism that you should be careful who and what you follow on stage, a maxim that is about to land on the Twin Cites with significant force in the wake of the much ballyhooed Democratic convention in Denver.
...
The Democratic convention in Denver was a bit of a head turner for even seasoned observers. There was a steady buildup all week to the huge gathering at Invesco Field, and then an explosion of rhetoric, fireworks and galas after Mr. Obama’s speech on Thursday night. The scale of the convention, along with the thin air, left more than a few gasping for air.

The politically interested will now switch from one city to another — two really, since both Minneapolis and St. Paul will play a role — trading Democrats for Republicans, mountains for lakes, and cow town pride for Minnesota Nice.

Host Committe meets fundraising goals

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It took a while, but they finally got their money:

After months of grueling work, the committee hosting the Democratic National Convention has raised the $40.6 million it promised it would — thanks, in some part at least, to the plan to have Barack Obama accept the nomination at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, in a briefing to City Council members Tuesday, said moving the final night of the convention gave the host committee another selling point with potential donors: Luxury boxes.

Some of them will be doled out to big wigs for Obama's acceptance speech, which he is expected to deliver to a crowd of more than 75,000.

"By going to Invesco Field at Mile High, we doubled the number of boxes and that has helped dramatically, that and having the candidate have been a big difference," Hickenlooper said.

but...

The fund-raising continues — for both the campaign and the host committee, which have said for months that they need to raise closer to $55 million to cover all the costs associated with the convention.

"We've got still more work to do," Hickenlooper said. "There's always more work to do, but we are well past what our contract calls for. Once we got a candidate, the whole world changed."

Convention transportation map released

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Yesterday The Colorado Independent had a story about the Secret Service denying bikes from the Pepsi Center parking lot.

Repeatedly citing the Secret Service and the Denver Police Department as making all security-related mandates, including not allowing delegates, volunteers and gathered media to park a bike within the convention perimeter, organizers said not accommodating leg-powered transportation is the exception to the rule when talking about the true greenness of the event.

This was especially surprising to me considering the Freewheelin' press conference I attended back in May. I figured we'd be seeing bikes all over the city during convention week.

I was able to obtain a convention transportation map from the City of Denver and bikes are definitely in the plans for the week. While you may not be able to park your bike at the Pepsi Center there will be a bike station located just across the street.

As you can see from the map (Click here for a full view) there will be two bike stations near the Convention Center. The one called "Green Central Station" sits at the entrance to the Cherry Creek trail which takes you to the bike station near the Pepsi Center.

I think we'll see a bunch of bikes during the convention after all.

Obama campaign raising convention money

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The Obama campaign has started raising money for the convention:

Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama has put his fundraising team to work helping raise unlimited donations from big donors for the cash-hungry Democratic National Convention.

Federal campaigns are not permitted to raise unrestricted amounts of money from wealthy donors, unions or corporations except when fundraising for the host committees that finance national presidential conventions.

Last month, the convention's Denver host committee reported an $11.6 million shortfall in its mid-June fundraising goal of $40.6 million.

Since then, Obama announced that he would give his nomination acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High stadium, significantly increasing convention costs. Convention organizers put the Invesco cost at $5 million-$5.5 million, but say that not using Pepsi Center on the fourth night will save enough to bring the overall increase closer to $4 million.
...
In helping raise money for the convention, the Obama campaign can seek sums significantly larger than the $2,300 maximum donations allowed by individuals for his campaign.
...
"We're still a little bit short, but I'm not worried about it," said the Rev. Leah Daughtry, CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee. "The (Obama) campaign is on the ground, and they're helping out. And, you know, we'll have all the money that we need to pay everybody on time according to their contracts." - AP

We've expected this for a while, especially after the Obama team increased the convention costs by moving the 4th night to Invesco.

Host Committee Volunteer Coordinator Resigns

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The shortage of money plaguing local efforts to finance the Democratic National Convention played a role in the resignation of the top official in charge of volunteers — and concerns are growing that Barack Obama won't be able to help.

Sondra Williams, the director for the 12,000 volunteers who will be assisting Democratic leaders and delegates and others during the convention, resigned after 13 months with the host committee.

She left at the end of a training day for volunteer captains and directors held June 7.

"I was not empowered to do my job," said Williams, on loan to the host committee from the National Education Association. "And therefore I felt I just couldn't continue."

She wouldn't elaborate, saying she does not want to malign the host committee, but she said the group was tense over its cash-flow problems. The committee, charged with raising $40.6 million for the convention, missed its final deadline Monday by more than $11 million.

"We all had our disappointments around it, and there was a lot of stress on the fundraising people," Williams said. - Denver Post

Convention up to $15 million short

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Fundraising problems continue to be the main story line right now for the convention, which is just over 10 weeks away:

The host committee for the Democratic National Convention faces a possible shortfall of $15 million, complicating logistics for the August event and forcing it to abruptly postpone a media walkthrough of the site scheduled for next week.

The Democratic National Committee has asked the cash-strapped panel to raise $40.6 million by Monday to finance the event. Last month, the committee said it had just $25 million in cash, and it has failed to meet each of several fundraising deadlines since signing a contract with the DNC last year.
...
Last week, Denver city auditor Dennis Gallagher sent a letter to Mayor John Hickenlooper saying taxpayers are concerned they may get stuck with the tab if Denver can't come up with another $15 million by Monday. - AP

With the postponement of the media walkthrough and the cancellation of the state delegate parties, it's clear money issues are the biggest concern right now for the convention planners.

Host Committee Announces Single Event to Replace State Delegation Parties

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That didn't take long to fix!

CONVENTION DELEGATES TO UNITE IN A SINGLE EVENT WITH FRIENDS OF NEW ORLEANS TO COMMEMORATE EFFORTS TO REBUILD AREAS AFFECTED BY HURRICANE KATRINA

Denver, CO - June 4, 2008 - After consultation with the Democratic National Convention Committee, the Denver 2008 Host Committee today announced that it will direct delegates to a single celebration commemorating the recovery and rebuilding of areas affected by Hurricane Katrina in lieu of individual delegate welcoming events. The event, to be hosted by the Friends of New Orleans, will be held Sunday, Aug. 24, three years after Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region in August, 2005.

The single-event format provides a natural forum to unite delegates and other convention guests in a festive environment for a worthwhile cause on an important anniversary. Friends of New Orleans is an international organization committed to supporting the ongoing recovery and rebuilding of the Gulf Coast Region.

"People across the country have poured their heart and soul into helping rebuild New Orleans and the surrounding Gulf Coast Region," said Host Committee President/Chair Elbra Wedgeworth. "This event will recognize those efforts, and we hope all of the delegates and guests to the Democratic National Convention will join in this commemorative event."

This consolidation supported by the Democratic National Convention Committee will enable the Host Committee to focus greater resources and energy into activities taking place in and around the Pepsi Center, where the actual Convention is being held Aug. 25-Aug. 28. This also provides the City of Denver and Convention attendees a chance to honor the three-year anniversary of Katrina.

Previous plans for delegate welcoming events included gatherings at 24 different locations around Denver, each of which would host anywhere from one to five delegations. The consolidation of the delegate celebrations will not, however, detract from Denver's efforts to showcase itself to the tens of thousands of elected officials, delegates, media and other guests who will be in Denver for the Convention. Hundreds of events are planned in and around Denver that will highlight the city's cultural diversity and rich history. The Historic Five Points Jazz Festival, Media Welcoming Celebration and Symposia of the Rockies are just some of the events taking place at unique spots around the city during Convention Week.

In addition, the Host Committee and City of Denver are engaging citizens across the country through its Call to Democracy efforts highlighted by the America:Live and In Person initiative and Cinemocracy Short Film Festival. People in Denver for the convention will also be able to view the 10 site-specific art installations of Dialog:City, which combines art, democracy and digital media.

Friends of New Orleans is a non-profit organization dedicated to the ongoing recovery efforts in New Orleans and surrounding areas. Following this event, which will invite all 56 delegations attending the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Denver's Fillmore Auditorium will present the "New Orleans All-Star Jam-Balaya," a concert featuring both the music and food that made New Orleans famous. - Press Release

Host Committee Cancels State Delegation Parties

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We told you where the parties were going to be for each state delegation back in April.

Now, according to the Denver Post, the state parties have been canceled.

After months of planning for two-dozen parties to fete the 56 delegations to the Democratic National Convention, the city's host committee is considering scrapping those parties in favor of one, single bash.

Facing a shortfall in the amount of private money the host committee needs to do such things as throw these parties, planners are notifying the different venues that they won't be needing the spaces on Aug. 24, the Sunday before the convention opens.

"It has the potential to save money," host committee spokesman Chris Lopez said today.

With alternates and guests, the delegations will total about 6,000.

Lopez says the new plan isn't set in stone, but officials are considering a single event at the Colorado Convention

According to the article, the Host Committee will start taking donations on its website

Early next week, the host committee will offer on its website, the ability to make small donations online.

"People could donate $5 or $10 or $25," Lopez said.

The idea to that people who hope to promote Denver will donate, as well as those who wish to promote the Democratic nominee.

CBS4 Denver has confirmed that several locations have confirmed that their parties have been canceled. They are adding to their list as they find more.

Denver Zoo - was scheduled to host a party for the Alabama, North Dakota, South Dakota delegates.

Colorado History Museum - was scheduled to host a party for the Arkansas, Kentucky, Wisconsin delegates.

Exdo Event Center - was scheduled to host the California delegates; however there is a contract in place and negotiations are underway.

Hudson's Gardens - was to host New Jersey delegates.

Museo de las Americas - was to host District of Columbia delegates.

Museum of Nature & Science - was to host Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah delegates.

And I can't post this without making a plea to our delegate friends to get us into the party (if there is one)!

A message from Mayor Hickenlooper

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As we turn the page....

A message from Mayor John W. Hickenlooper and the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee:

Number of Visitors: While as many as 50,000 visitors are anticipated between Saturday, August 23 and Thursday, August 28 - including delegates, assorted guests and 15,000 members of the media - it is important to remember that this is less than the number of people that come downtown for Rockies' Opening Day or for a Broncos game. Denver has hosted games in all three downtown stadiums at the same time, involving close to 150,000 people. The Convention visitors - who won't all be downtown at the same time - will spend significant amounts of time inside the Colorado Convention Center, Pepsi Center and other event venues. Downtown restaurants will be open for business - and should be able to easily accommodate local diners as activity on the Convention floor takes place between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Street, Residential and Commercial Access: We are working very hard to ensure that downtown residents and workers can get around and access their buildings with ease during the Democratic National Convention. Because of the Pepsi Center's location in the Platte Valley, transportation- and security-related impacts on downtown will be minimized.

• When people talk about a "security perimeter," what they are really talking about are areas around the Pepsi Center that may require additional screening or security measures. Those areas will be finalized and announced closer to the Convention, but please know that our intention is to minimize any impacts on roadways, businesses and residences. More updates will be provided to businesses and residents near the Pepsi Center - and the general public - over the coming weeks.

• While there will be some modest traffic impacts in the downtown area during the Convention, it will not tie up the downtown. Downtown workers should not have difficulties getting to or leaving work, particularly since the main hours of Pepsi Center activity (4 p.m. to 9 p.m.) do not correspond with standard morning or evening commute times. The bottom line is: Downtown will be accessible
  ...
  

Free Speech: We support the rights of people to express their views safely and in a manner that respects the rights of others along with local, state and federal laws. The 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston attracted 10,000 demonstrators. Some peaceful demonstrations are anticipated in Civic Center, Skyline Park and other downtown parks during the week of the Convention.

• As a point of reference, approximately 75,000 to 100,000 people gathered in Civic Center Park for a May 2006 rally, and it did not inconvenience downtown businesses, residents or City services. The annual set-up for the Downtown Denver Partnership's Taste of Colorado will also begin in Civic Center on the Wednesday of the Convention week.

• A designated parade route - the details of which will be announced by June 12 - will provide organizations that want to march toward the Pepsi Center a safe means to do so in a manner and timeframe that minimizes mobility impacts on downtown businesses, residents and visitors.

Convention fundraising still lagging

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With the nomination battle still going on, fundraising for the Democratic Convention in Denver is going slower than planned:

The Denver host committee for the Democratic National Convention is behind on raising the money it needs to transform the Mile High City into the focal point of American politics for four days in late August, just three months away.

The host committee needs to raise $40.6 million by June 16. It fell $5 million short on its most recent deadline, March 17, by which point the host committee promised to raise $28 million, according to its contract with the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC).
...
Members of the Denver host committee concede the lack of clarity in the Democratic field has been a factor in their fundraising struggles, but only one of many.

“You’ve also got to look at the economy, you’ve got to look at [the fact that] Denver’s got seven Fortune 500 companies. That’s one-third the number Minneapolis has,” Denver Mayor John W. Hickenlooper told CQ Politics.
...
“Other host cities had a candidate to work with to rally around. We don’t. But I can’t say that that’s hurt us or not, it’s just a fact of the cycle that we’re in,” said Chris Lopez, a spokesman for the Denver host committee.
...
Lopez said the Denver host committee was ahead of where the Boston host committee was at the same point for the 2004 convention and that they felt confident they would meet their fundraising obligations.

“There’s not panic. It’ll come. We’re moving the needle, we’re trending ahead of where Boston was and we feel really good about that. . . . We expect here at the finish line that we definitely will hit the numbers,” he said. - CQPolitics

See here for past DCW stories on convention money issues.

Freewheelin the Convention - 1000 Bikes For All To Use

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The Host Committee along with Humana and Bikes Belong Coalition held a press conference at the Denver Convention Center yesterday afternoon. Host Committee President Eldra Wedgeworth, Mayor John Hickenlooper and Host Committee Director of Greening Parry Burnap were on hand for the event.

In order to reduce the environmental impact brought by the convention 1000 bikes will be dispersed throughout the city. The bikes will be available to not only convention goers but also visitors and residents of the city.

Bike stations are set up at various points around participating cities, universities or corporate campuses, with each station housing a collection of bikes which are equipped with an onboard CPU which will track and convert distance traveled, duration of the ride, calories burned and resulting carbon offset. Each station is accompanied by an unattended kiosk through which participants can “check in & out” a bike. Once the user is finished, they simply return the bike to any Freewheelin station in the program.

After the convention is over Humana will donate 70 of the bikes along with the checkout kiosks to the city of Denver. They are also working with the Twin Cities' wonderful Democratic mayors to do the same thing for the Republican National Convention.

Mayor Hickenlooper, Bikes Belong's Executive Director Tim Blumenthal
and Director of Greening Parry Burnap

After the press conference I spoke to Parry Burnap the Host Committee's Director of Greening. She explained to me the differences in focus between the Host Committee's Greening Team and the DNCC Greening Team. The DNC is in charge of greening at the Pepsi Center and transportation to and from Denver. The Host Committee is focusing on transportation to and from the hotels and events as well as overall greening efforts throughout the city.

Burnap said that shuttle buses will run back and forth between the various locations but that the delegates can get back and forth however they like. This includes bikes, light rail or any other form of transportation they can find.

Parry told me that she's familiar with DCW and had some nice words to say about the site.

Host Committee Announces Welcome Event Venues

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DENVER HOST COMMITTEE ANNOUNCES STATE DELEGATION WELCOMING EVENTS FOR DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

Delegate parties throughout Denver area
set for Sunday, Aug. 24

The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee today announced details for the Democratic National Convention state delegation welcoming events to be held on Sunday, August 24 , 2008. Denver will host 54 delegations at 24 venues in the city and surrounding areas.

Jenny Anderson, Event Director for the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, made the announcement during visits to three of the 24 venues that will host delegation parties: Blair Caldwell Library, Museo de las Americas and Wings Over the Rockies.

Other sites include the Governor's Mansion, where the Colorado delegation will open its convention activities; the Wildlife Experience, site for the Texas event; the Denver Art Museum, site for the Illinois event; and the Belmar Center in nearby Lakewood that will host five delegations -- Alaska, Indiana, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island and Tennessee.

"Denver and the selected venues are excited to extend hospitality to the delegates of the Democratic National Convention," said Anderson. "The diversity of the venues exemplifies the uniqueness and diversity in Denver and the surrounding area, both geographically and culturally."

Venues and state delegation assignments were based on delegation size, venue capacity and location, among other logistics. Including the state delegation parties, the Denver Host Committee is organizing more than 40 parties during the week of the convention. Each event will be planned to minimize impact to the local environment.

"With 6,000 delegates planning on attending the convention, there has never been a larger spotlight on Denver," said Host Committee President/Chair Elbra Wedgeworth. "We're excited to showcase all that the region has to offer - its energy, diversity and exciting opportunities, among many other things."

List of State Delegation Party Venues:

Belmar Center - Alaska, Indiana, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee

Blair Caldwell Library - Democrats Abroad, Virgin Islands

Botanic Gardens - South Carolina

Center for the Visual Arts - Georgia

Colorado History Museum - Arkansas, Kentucky, Wisconsin

Denver Art Museum - Illinois

Denver Chophouse - Kansas

Denver Public Library - Iowa

Denver Zoo - Alabama, North Dakota, South Dakota

Downtown Aquarium - Connecticut, Delaware, Missouri

Exdo Event Center - California

Grant Humphries - Minnesota

Governor's Mansion - Colorado

Hudson's Gardens - New Jersey

The Lab at Belmar - American Samoa, Guam, Idaho, Hawaii

Museo de las Americas - District of Columbia

Museum of Nature & Science - Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah

Palazzo Verdi - Nebraska, Oklahoma

Phipps Mansion - New Hampshire, Vermont

Phipps Pavilion - Mississippi, Montana, Wyoming

Pinnacle Club - New York

Red Rocks - North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia

Wildlife Experience - Texas

Wings Over the Rockies - Arizona, Louisiana, Maryland, Oregon, Washington

For more information, visit www.denverconvention2008.com.

And for any delegates out there... your humble DCW staff would love to celebrate with you at any of the above locations (Kansas... this means you!) Email us at demconwatch -at- google groups dot com

Convention Volunteer Update

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The latest volunteer email just came out and it's got a lot of good information in it.

Volunteer coordinators for the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee are beginning to determine the work and training schedules for volunteers during the Democratic National Convention Aug 25-28.

This is part of the Host Committee's effort to give as many people volunteer opportunities as possible. As many as 25,000 have registered to volunteer during the Convention.

As a result of the large volunteer base, some early decisions have been made:

• Most volunteers will be assigned to work a maximum of four hours during the convention. For out-of-state volunteers, it's important to weigh travel and housing costs prior to making such a commitment.

• Most volunteers will be notified of assignments in July. For those who are given assignments, there will be a MANDATORY training session held in Denver on July 26. Out-of-state volunteers will have the required training scheduled during the week before the convention on a date to be determined.

With a maximum of 4 hours for most volunteers and a mandatory training the week before the convention for out-of-state volunteers it looks like they may be trying to weed out anyone outside of Colorado not truly committed (or financially able) to volunteer.

Hospitality and Greening duties will account
for much of the volunteer work

Volunteering at the Democratic National Convention will provide many rewarding experiences. It's important that those looking to volunteer recognize that they likely won't be assigned to work at the Pepsi Center, the site of the convention. Instead, most volunteers will work in hospitality and on efforts to green the convention.

It's important that volunteers check their profiles at www.DenverConvention2008.com, answer any new questions, correct data and provide as much detail about their work experience and availability as possible to help the volunteer coordinators make appropriate assignments.

Completing the profile form is a mandatory part of the process to be considered for a volunteer assignment.

The email also announced a Volunteer Kick-Off on May 31st and a Podcast that talks about all the latest convention news.

Convention party planner very busy

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The important stuff, you know, the party planning, is full-speed ahead:

Jenny Anderson may be the biggest party girl in Denver.

As event director for the Denver Convention Host Committee, Anderson is charged with making arrangements for the 10,000-guest media mob party at Elitch Gardens on Aug. 23, as well as coordinating 24 party places for 8,000 members of state delegations on Aug. 24 during the Democratic National Convention.

All welcome receptions for the delegations will happen the same night in 24 different places."We're spreading them out throughout the Denver metro area," Anderson said. "Wings Over the Rockies, Belmar Center, Wildlife Experience and some in downtown locations. They're all venues, not restaurants or hotels." - RMN.

Deadline For Democratic National Convention Youth Essay Contest Fast Approaching

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We told you about the Write to Lead Youth Essay Contest in February. We're just over 2 weeks away from the deadline to submit an essay. If you can't get in as a delegate or volunteer this may be an alternative.

The Democratic National Convention Committee, Post-News Educational Services and Qwest are issuing a last call for students across Colorado to enter the "WRITE TO LEAD" essay contest -- a unique opportunity for Colorado youth to voice their thoughts on leadership and the future of our country and to engage in the 2008 Democratic National Convention experience. Finalists will have the opportunity to serve as ambassadors to state delegations from across the country, and two Presidential Winners will attend the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Throughout history, political party conventions have played a key role in determining our nation's leaders. Essay contest organizers know young people in Colorado have big ideas about what makes a good leader and where our country is headed -- and with the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver fast approaching, there's no better time to give voice to those big ideas.

The "WRITE TO LEAD" contest invites Colorado students in grades 6-11 to submit an original essay answering one of two questions:
Grades 6-8: What qualities make a great leader? How could one exhibit those traits in everyday life?
Grades 9-11: Looking to the future, what do you see for our country? What qualities does a leader need to take our country forward?

**All entries, parental consent forms and waivers must be submitted and postmarked by Friday, April 18, 2008.**

Do you want to "WRITE TO LEAD?" Go to www.demconvention.com or call 720-362-2147 for details. - DNCC Press Release

Convention preparations: On track, but fundraising lags

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Two different takes on the preparations for the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. First, from the Roll Call, via the DNCC:

"'The nuts and bolts, the logistics of the convention are the logistics, regardless of the nominee,' said Leah Daughtry, chief executive officer for the Democratic National Convention. 'On Aug. 25, we have to be ready. We don't get another day. We're planning to be ready in that hall when that gavel drops.'

"Daughtry said organizers got off to 'an early start' with the selection of the convention dates and location. Also, she said party officials continue to be 'on pace or ahead of pace in terms of planning and logistics.'

"Much of the preparation has been under way for months, with national Democrats working to make available lodging, transportation and convention space for the thousands of visitors to Denver. Most of that work can be done without the presidential nominee in place, but the candidate typically teams with national party players well in advance to put his or her stamp on the overall message, framework and program for the four-day event.

But raising money is proving to be difficult:

The long and winding fight for the Democratic presidential nomination is giving a fundraising migraine to the Mile High City.

As the host city, Denver must raise $40.6 million by June 16 for the party's Aug. 25-28 convention. This week, the host committee missed its second fundraising deadline, and Mayor John W. Hickenlooper said he believed the drawn-out battle between Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois had distracted potential donors.

"I think there's still so much focus around who the candidate will be that it is hard for people" to focus on the convention, he said.
...
Denver's host committee fell $5 million short of its goal to raise $28 million by March 17.

Conventions always have problems raising money, and the tight nomination race is going to continue to draw money away from the convention. We'll keep an eye on this.

Denver residents worried about access

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Denver residents near the Pepsi Center and other conventions locations are worried about access:

The convention, scheduled for Aug. 25 - 28, promises to create headaches for those living downtown. Thousands live downtown, and several thousand more will be coming downtown during the last week of August. There will be road blocks, Secret Service and protests, and residents said now is the time to develop a plan ensuring they can get to and from home safely.
sponsor

"The city of Denver is showing a lot of western hospitality," said John Maslanik, president of the Downtown Denver Residents Organization. Maslanik said so far, the DNC host committee has communicated well.

"But there's one piece that seems to missing and that's kind of this question about security for the residents and access," said Maslanik. And with a red-hot race and the possibility of a brokered convention, downtown residents want a plan in place ensuring residential access and safety sooner rather than later. "Because then people get defensive and angry and I don't think there's any need for that," said Maslanik.

Security lockdowns around convention sites have always caused problems for local residents, who sometimes need special passes just to get to and from their residences. I don't think there's much housing right near the Pepsi Center, but there will be inconveniences, and the local residents are right to make sure plans are in place and communicated well before the convention starts.

Host Committee announces it may need $9 million more

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As most Colorado residents expected the Host Committee has come to the conclusion that they need more money than they had originally budgeted for. At least it's not as bad as RTD's FasTracks which is facing a $2.5 billion shortfall.

The host committee responsible for raising the nearly $41 million for the Democratic National Convention now believes it may need as much as $9 million more to avoid a budget shortfall.

Officials with the Denver 2008 Host Committee claim there are additional cash costs that it is responsible for beyond its $40.6 million contract with the Democratic National Convention Committee.

For example, the contract calls for use of the luxury suites at the Pepsi Center, but host committee officials believe reimbursement totals for those suite holders will be $1.5 million over the contract amount.

The contract also addresses staffing costs, including rent for downtown offices and host committee salaries. But host committee officials say that's almost $1 million more on top of the contract's $40.6 million.

Chris Lopez, spokesman for the 2008 Host Committee, said they also have to come up with $1.5 million in security costs that aren't covered under the $50 million in federal funds for the convention. - RMN

Now watch as all the wingnuts start complaining that Denver never should have asked for the convention.

How Green Will The Convention Be?

WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com

I listened to a great interview yesterday on Colorado Public Radio about the unprecedented work being done to "green" the convention. Andrea Robinson, the Director of Greening for the DNCC and Parry Burnap, the Greening Coordinator for the Host Committee

Click here to listen

More information on greening can be found in this Denver Post Article

Come Aug. 25 (or sooner), some 35,000 Democrats and members of the news media will flood into Denver, where they will eat at local restaurants, explore the metro area's cultural establishments, and be entertained at more than 1,000 parties and events. But while they're adding an estimated $160 million to the area's coffers, will they also be adding to its traffic congestion, air pollution and carbon footprint?

The city of Denver and the Democratic National Committee hope not, so they have joined together as the DNC Host Committee to "green" the convention and create a permanent legacy of environmental improvements for the city.

The committee has established 10 task forces to ease the environmental impact of the convention. One group will focus on educating hotels, restaurants and event planners. Last week, workshops underwritten by the Environmental Protection Agency attracted 150 people from the Colorado Restaurant Association, where they learned how they can minimize water use, offset electricity use, and buy food grown locally to reduce energy used for transportation. Parry Burnap, greening director for the committee, says similar workshops are planned for the hotel industry. - Denver Post