How we got here

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There have been a lot of new readers since this blog started over a year ago, so here's a summary of how we got to two cities, Denver and New York, both vying to be the host of the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

I started the blog on November 7, 2005, just after DNC Chairman Howard Dean announced that the convention would be held Aug 25-28, 2008, just after the Summer Olympics, which was a great date both for both financial and political reasons, and eventually forced the GOP to start their convention on Labor Day. New Orleans was the first city openly discussed, but Denver, as they have all year, was first in expressing interest, forming a Host Committee, and accepting an invitation to bid for the convention. But even by late November, 2005, questions about Denver's labor issues began to surface. By mid-December, 35 cities were invited to bid to host the convention.

Although other cities such as Anchorage were proposed, the real players soon emerged. First to accept a bid were Denver and Orlando, soon followed by Anaheim, Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, New Orleans, New York City, Phoenix and San Antonio, with Denver, New Orleans and New York considered the front-runners, although the netroots supported Denver and New Orleans. Some cities started slowly: Detroit couldn't agree whether it had accepted the bid, Dallas was more concerned about the Mary Kay convention, and San Antonio was worried about feasibility and costs. By mid-April, Orlando was expressing concerns about the cost. Phoenix was the first to drop out, and Orlando and San Antonio soon followed.

The DNC held their spring meeting in April in New Orleans, which brought front and center the good and bad about having the convention there, and where the general feeling was that Denver had the bid all locked up, although the first signs of problems from local Denver union officials began to surface. Anaheim dropped out in early May, soon followed by Dallas, and then, surprisingly, Detroit, thought to have a good chance to host the convention, and finally Las Vegas, which realized it could make more money with their normal convention schedule than with a political convention. This left four cities which were reported to have made bids to host the convention: Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New Orleans and New York.

Or maybe not. Questions about whether New Orleans really made a bid started to surface, as no site visit had been scheduled, and in mid-July, it was official - New Orleans dropped out, saying the cost of holding the event after Hurricane Katrina last year was too massive. This was a controversial decision, with some feeling the DNC should have lessened the financial requirements for New Orleans due to its special situation.

In June, the Site Selection Committee started its visits, visiting New York, Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul. July saw Denver trying to raise money from other states, the DNC focusing on the St. Paul Xcel Center for the Twin Cities bid, and Denver hiring a "heavy hitter" to run its bid. August started quiet, although Denver, New York and St. Paul all hosted receptions at the summer DNC meeting. But by the end of the summer, money and labor issues were impacting Denver's bid.

Denver's efforts bottomed out in early September, when its bid was called "disastrous". But the bid improved, and when the GOP preemptively chose St. Paul as the site of their convention, Denver was a contender again, Then Denver's Convention Headquarters Hotel was unionized, which was considered a "huge deal".

Denver's roll continued with reports that New York was having problems raising money, and then Democrats won the Governor's race in Colorado. And while Dean expressed concern about Denver's ability to raise money, Denver seemed to answer those concerns.

Denver was confident that would get the nod in a early December decision, but New York made a last-minute push, and by mid-December it was 50-50, with a decision considered imminent. But then a Denver union leader refused to sign a no-strike pledge, New York had more issues raising money, and finally the DNC announced they were delaying a decision until January.

So where does that leave us? With the following questions:

Where does Hillary Clinton really want the convention?
Where does New York mayor Mike Bloomberg really want the convention?
Where does Denver's Local No. 7 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees really want the convention?
And finally, the only question that really matters, where does DNC Chairman Howard Dean really want the convention?

Logistics keeping cities from bidding for conventions

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At one point earlier this year, I questioned whether any more than two cities would bid for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Congressional Quarterly looks at the reasons:

It is hard for officials and boosters of many American cities to avoid getting stars in their eyes when the major parties start soliciting potential sites for their next presidential nominating conventions. The quadrennial gatherings hold out the prospect of revenue streams and days of free publicity — not to mention a chance, perhaps, to share the stage with the current or next president and to hobnob with celebrities from the worlds of politics, media and entertainment.

But then they get a load of the details. There are long lists of logistic requirements demanded by the parties, including a single convention venue that can accommodate thousands of delegates and party officials and many thousands more journalists who will cover the proceedings, and at least 20,000 hotel rooms and 2,000 suites for participants that are located within a reasonable commute to the arena. And this is on top of security measures and costs that have greatly escalated since the onset of the “9/11 era.”

It is not very surprising, therefore, that most cities take a deep breath and decide that it would better to watch the conventions from afar. Of 66 cities initially considered to host the 2008 Republican and Democratic national conventions, only six are still in the running.

...

Cities that dropped out couldn’t meet the parties’ strict criteria for a number of reasons. Some didn’t have adequate facilities. Others had scheduling conflicts with other major events. Others felt their cities simply weren’t ready to host in 2008.

Detroit had originally been eyed by both parties as a potential host, and local promoters’ interest was piqued by the economic benefit the city enjoyed from hosting the NFL’s Super Bowl last January. The infrastructure in place would meet the demands of the Democratic National Committee, city officials said. But the city’s convention drive ended up a victim to its own success at lining up a series of other major events, including the 2008 PGA golf championship and the Final Four in the 2009 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau spokeswoman Renee Monforton said it would be too much to ask for the additional significant corporate contributions that would have been required to stage a political convention in just two years.

Las Vegas, which has never hosted a national presidential nominating convention, early on was a hot prospect for the Democrats...

“Many travelers come to enjoy themselves to relax and have fun, because Vegas is about fun. It has evolved into a business place as well,” said Vince Alberta, spokesman for Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. But it was that very popularity that undermined the city’s bid for the 2008 national convention. “We were honored, but we had commitments from other trade shows and special events during that time frame. It prevented us from exclusively dedicating a facility,” Alberta said.

Seattle dropped from consideration because the city doesn’t have an arena with the capacity for either party’s convention, and also doesn’t have enough guest rooms in close proximity to the downtown core. “Simply, because of a facilities issue,” said Tom Norwalk, spokesman for Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau.

While prospective cities foresee increased cash flow, experience has revealed another side that can dampen some of the initial enthusiasm. The heightened security around the 2004 Republican convention at Madison Square Garden in New York City — about three miles north of the site of the deadly Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center — diverted customer traffic from some local businesses.

“The expectation was that there would be a lot of business as a result of the convention. But because of the level of security that had to be maintained around [Madison Square Garden], most of the delegates spent most of their time within the security network and did not spend a lot of time or money in the restaurants,” said E. Charles Hunt, executive vice president of the New York State Restaurant Association. “Overall, the restaurants didn’t see the level of business they expected.”

One vendor in the Madison Square Garden area told Hunt the only patrons in his restaurant as a result of the convention were police officers and fire department personnel on hand as part of the security detail. Hunt added that caterers were kept busy inside the convention center itself.

One of these years, there won't be any cities that want to put up any money to host the convention, and the parties will have to raise a lot more money if they still want to have them.

Detroit drops out

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In a suprising development, Detroit announced that they won't be submitting a bid to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention. From the Detroit Free Press:

The Democrats are out, but the Republicans may still have a future in the city of Detroit, at least for the 2008 political convention season. A city official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Thursday that Detroit won't make today's deadline to bid for the Democratic convention.

...

But Detroit still may try to make a case for the Republican National Convention, which will run Sept. 1-4, 2008, said the official, who didn't want his name revealed until the city decides on the GOP convention.

...

Monday is the deadline to apply to host the GOP convention. Republicans generally require fewer hotel rooms for a convention.

Citing Michigan's and the city's struggling economy, Detroit couldn't get the financial commitments needed to meet today's deadline for the Democratic convention, the official said. Costs to host the convention range from $30 million on up, said Ed Sarpolus, a political consultant and pollster from Lansing. Most of that money traditionally has come from corporate sponsors. "How do you raise money for a partisan issue?" Sarpolus said. "It's not a question that the city can get dressed up for it. They proved that during the Super Bowl."

I would bet they don't make a bid for the Republican convention either, but are giving themselves the weekend to make sure.

Michigan Senate passes resolution urging the DNC to pick Detroit

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Well if the DNC can listen to people's opinions at parties, they can certainly listen to the opinion of the Michigan State Senate (pdf):

Senate Resolution No. 134.
A resolution to urge the Democratic National Committee to consider Detroit as the host site for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The question being on the adoption of the resolution. The resolution was adopted.

I don't think this would have happened if Detroit wasn't going ahead with its bid.

Is a Detroit bid in question?

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Detroit's political leaders have held meetings to look at the feasibilty of bidding for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, and the Detroit Free Press gives an update:

How about the 2008 political conventions? Or maybe even the 2016 Summer Olympics?

Both have been the subject of speculation by the so-called Big 4 -- Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson and Nancy White, chairwoman of the Macomb County Board of Commissioners.

The conventions are something that the political leaders of metro Detroit are ready to cooperate on, especially after the success of the Super Bowl in February. "We want something that we can all do together," said Kilpatrick on Friday during the annual luncheon of the Eight Mile Boulevard Association.

All three other leaders agreed. "We've been talking about what else we can focus on," said Patterson. "I'll support an application for either convention."

...

The city doesn't have much time to make a decision. The deadline to submit a bid for the Democratic convention is May 19. The GOP convention deadline is May 22. Once the bids come in, the two parties will whittle their lists ...Ford Field has been mentioned as a possible site.

The proposals are due to the DNC on May 19, in just over a week. It seems very late in the process to still be deciding whether to submit a proposal. I'm getting a feeling that Detroit may not be a sure thing to make it to the next round.

Detroit putting plans in place

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From CrainsDetroit comes this note from a Detroit business breakfast:

[Democratic Detroit Mayor Kwame] Kilpatrick said he, [Republican Oakland County Executive L. Brooks] Patterson and Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano have been meeting to work out a plan to woo either the Democratic or Republican national convention to Detroit in 2008 and that he and Patterson “work together every day. The language of our constituencies often fuels the perception of a fight between Brooks and I that doesn’t exist.”

The language implies that Detroit will be going after both conventions. We know Orlando also wants to bid for both conventions, and we'll see what other cities will also be doing dual bids.

Detroit and San Antonio still unsure about bids

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Detroit still is unsure whether they are going to bid for the 2008 Democratic Convention:

"We have expressed interest in receiving the bidding papers from the Democratic Party," Ceeon Quiett, spokeswoman for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, said Monday. "But we have not made any decisions about either convention."
...

The state Democratic Party and the Detroit Visitors and Convention Bureau will help if the city decides to make a bid.

"We've got a track record now after the All-Star Game, the auto show and the Super Bowl," said party Chairman Mark Brewer.

Well at least Ms. Quiett now admits to the city expressing interest, unlike her confusion 10 days ago.

San Antonio is also not yet committed to making a bid:

City officials said it is too early to determine the seriousness of a bid.

"Sure, we're interested," said Scott Wudel with the city's Department of Communications and Public Affairs. "But we have to determine if it's even feasible."

...

J.J. Saulino, communications director for Mayor Phil Hardberger, said the mayor would look closely at the cost of making the bid and hosting the convention compared with the payoff San Antonio would get.

Detroit confusion

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Did Detroit accept the invitation to bid for the 2008 Democratic National Convention? Well, from today's Detroit News:

"Detroit would be an excellent site for the 2008 Democratic National Convention," said Jason Moon, spokesman for the Michigan Democratic Party. "And the (2005 Major League Baseball) All-Star Game and now the Super Bowl proved that Detroit would be a tremendous host for any major event." Moon said Detroit is one of about a dozen cities in contention to host the gathering.

"One of a dozen cities still in contention"? Sounds like Detroit accepted the invitation. But from today's Detroit Free Press:

City spokeswoman Ceeon Quiett said the city just learned of its inclusion on the RNC's list Wednesday and hadn't had a chance to discuss a bid. Nor has it discussed a bid for the Democratic convention.

Not sure how you accept an invitation without discussing it. Or maybe it depends on the meaning of "discuss"!

Superbowl: Done.... Convention: Next?

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

In the wake of the Superbowl, lots of discussion on the web today about Detroit hosting the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The Discuss Detroit message board weighs the pros and cons:

We should definitely bid for a political convention....this is all tourism dollars that our region desperately needs. Money is money. We need to not only bid for large things like that, Super Bowl, etc, but smaller conventions as well. I would imagine since we are now on the map as a fun city, more conventions may be in the works.
...
A bid for the Democratic National Convention requires the ability to put many millions in hard cash into DNC coffers, in addition to putting millions of dollars of city services in play. Detroit could not assuredly raise the many millions last time (and so lost the bid to Boston - which also struggled)and has less ability now. Also, a political convention is all about very low hotel rates (as opposed to the Super Bowl) and catered affairs for the delegates (no restaurant effect, then). Couple that with the cash money the DNC demands and the free services the City would have to put out and you have a recipe for disaster.

Also, Metro at his South of 8 Mile blog makes the case:

Detroit has finally proven itself. This city deserves to host the 2008 Democratic convention, for it is ready. Detroit should also go after the summer Olympics if you ask me. Kwame Kilpatric, Roger Penske, all the major corporations, all the local governments, they all pulled together for this event. Detroit has shined like it hasn't shined in decades. The momentum should only build from hear on out, it should be a no holds barred effort to land every major event we can, as we should now be viewed amongst the big players.

From a superbowl to a convention?

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

Can hosting the Superbowl give Detroit a leg up on its bid for the 2008 Democratic National Convention? Susan Sherer, executive director of the Super Bowl XL Host Committee, who wrote the winning superbowl bid when she was at the Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau, thinks so:

For her part, Sherer thinks the legacy of the Super Bowl -- and the various corporate and government actors it brought together -- will pay off in other events in the future.

"When we get ready to do a Final Four," she says, referring to the NCAA basketball tournament, "we'll be much better equipped. If we decide to have an Olympics bid, we'll be much better equipped.

"And if we decide to go after the 2008 Democratic convention," she says, "we'll be much better equipped."

This is the first news we've seen on a potential Detroit bid. I still believe Detroit will be a major contender for the convention if they decide to bid.