Hotel chase continues

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Apparently union hotels are no longer the key to which hotel each state delegation wants to stay in. Working toilets are:

The group of out-of-town Democratic Party officials piled into the small bathroom of the Embassy Suites hotel room on Thursday and watched as Todd Taylor took a scrap of tissue paper, dropped it into the toilet and flushed. “Pretty good,” proclaimed Mr. Taylor, the executive director of the Utah Democratic Party. “But if you’re in a room any higher than the eighth floor, the flushing can be a problem.”

Despite the chuckles from his fellow Democrats, Mr. Taylor was serious about the toilet test because it might just determine where his delegation stays during the 2008 Democratic National Convention. After all, Utah delegates have complained about feeble hotel toilets in years past. On Thursday, Mr. Taylor, joined by representatives from 16 other delegations and a gaggle of national Democratic officials, meticulously inspected the toilets, beds and conference facilities at an assortment of Denver hotels, kicking off their search for accommodations during the convention, which will be held next August.

“Even though this is my fourth convention, you still hold your breath and try not to be overwhelmed by the magnitude,” said Cameron Moody, deputy chief executive of operations for the Democratic National Convention Committee. Mr. Moody is charged with arranging hotel rooms for the 5,200 delegates, alternates and state committee members. It is a daunting task that involves matching the needs of 56 delegations with the 22 hotels that have set aside rooms for them during the convention.
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“How late does the bar stay open?” asked Caroline Valand, executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party, as she strolled through the Denver Marriott South.
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Each delegation wants its first choice, of course, and in the past some would submit only one hotel to make their point, Mr. Moody said. “Things usually end up sorting themselves out,” he said.

In case they do not, a lottery that was held in May will decide which delegation gets preference if two want the same hotel and there is not enough room. American Samoa, which is bringing a delegation of 13, is positioned to score a choice hotel because it gets the third pick in the lottery. Pennsylvania, by contrast, will bring a delegation of 206 but will pick 49th. (Utah has the first pick; Alaska the last.)
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Utah’s dream of a centrally located hotel could come true this time, however. Buttressing its chances are its lottery pick and the fact that a significant portion of the 7,000 rooms reserved for the delegations and their families are within walking distance of the convention site, the Pepsi Center. The others are clustered in two outlying areas, Stapleton and the Tech Center, both less than a 30-minute ride from the convention.

“We’re able to plan this convention in a way we couldn’t do in a larger city,” Mr. Moody said. Such was not in the case in Boston in 2004, or especially in Los Angeles in 2000, when delegates were scattered pell-mell in surrounding suburbs.

It may be spin, but maybe being in a smaller city like Denver is providing some hotel benefits.

Late conventions, early primaries, could move up VP choice

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I started this blog when DNC Chairman Howard Dean announced that the convention would be held Aug 25-28, 2008, which was a great date both for both financial and political reasons, and eventually forced the GOP to start their convention on Labor Day. Elizabeth Wilner at The Politico notes another effect of the late summer date for both conventions:

In presidential election years, summertime traditionally is for running mates and conventions - though never quite in the way we’ll see a year from now.... Conventions mark the culmination of the biggest, most gamed-out draft pick in American politics: the selection of the running mate.

In 2008, that long-held custom will be threatened, as other political traditions already have been, by the unprecedented schedule and scale of this campaign. Running mates historically have been chosen within days, or at most, a few weeks before the start of a convention, then packed off on a grand tour that ends with a balloon drop. Sen. John F. Kerry’s choice of his colleague Sen. John Edwards, which came 20 days before the start of the 2004 Democratic confab, was unusually early compared to previous cycles. A lead time of about a week has been more the norm; in 2000, then-Gov. George W. Bush and then-Vice President Al Gore revealed their picks the week before their conventions began.

I would note that in 1976, Jimmy Carter, even though he had the nomination all wrapped up, did not reveal his choice of Walter Mondale to be VP until after Carter was officially nominated, on the morning of the last day of the convention.

In a cycle in which the identities of the nominees are expected to be known unusually early, adhering to tradition would mean that running mates get picked fatefully late. The 2008 presidential nominees could be anointed as early as Feb. 5. The Democratic and Republican conventions will take place during the last week of August and the first week of September.

It’s hard to imagine both nominees enduring such a stretch without the kind of help only a running mate can provide. Assuming that Feb. 5 proves decisive, they’ll face six and a half months of nonstop travel, relentless pummeling by the opposition and constant fundraising until the public campaign fund check arrives.

Another reason for a presidential nominee to pull the trigger early on a running mate would be to ensure that he or she captures the full attention of the media and the public. This announcement is the single biggest controllable news event any presidential campaign gets to stage before Election Day. Sticking to the old game plan of waiting until shortly before the conventions means that the respective announcements, like the conventions themselves, would bump up against each other.

An earlier decision also would leave time for a campaign to get its vice presidential subsidiary organization staffed up and running and give the second on the ticket some time to ease into the job. Waiting until shortly before the convention to announce the pick would give him or her just six to eight weeks before the traditional fall vice presidential debate.

The Democratic National Committee believed it was scheduling its confab for as late as, well, conventionally possible. Having seen how a late-August gathering worked to President Bush’s benefit in 2004 by giving him momentum against Kerry heading into the fall, the DNC has scheduled its event for Aug. 25-28. (The party also was shut out of most of that month in 2008 because of the Summer Olympics.)

Few really expected the Republicans to look beyond Labor Day, but hoping to repeat their 2004 success, that’s precisely what they did, besting the DNC in scheduling jujitsu by setting their convention for Sept. 1-4.

The decision that will confront the major-party nominees about when to choose their running mates will provide another example of how the trappings of traditional politicking must be revisited or even cast aside to enable candidates to better handle the particular rigors of this presidential race.

And for a gathering whose financially bloated, suspenseless existence is being questioned more and more, any weakening of its biggest selling point for the public and the press could strike the death blow for the nominating convention as we know it.

I think the long gap between the candidates being picked in March and the conventions at the end of the summer is going to have a number of unpredictable effects, the timing of the VP choice being only one of them. And I think the future of conventions is going to be a major topic next summer in the leadup to the conventions, and it will be very interesting to see how the 2008 conventions are covered, and how the parties respond in the future.

Pelosi named convention chair

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be the Permanent Chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, leading an all-female team of chairs and co-chairs:

Governor Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, announced today his intention to nominate Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi of California to serve as Permanent Chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. Dean also announced that three outstanding leaders, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Chair of the Democratic Governors Association; Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte, President of the National Conference of State Legislatures; and Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, President of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors, will be nominated as Permanent Convention Co- Chairs. This distinguished group of strong Democratic leaders from all levels of government and all parts of the country exemplifies the vision, values and commitment to America's future that the Democratic National Convention will showcase in Denver.

"Our Party is bringing a new kind of leadership to our country at all levels," said Governor Dean. "We are extremely fortunate to have such a distinguished group of strong Democratic leaders chairing our Convention. I want to thank Speaker Pelosi, Governor Sebelius, state Senator Van de Putte and Mayor Franklin for their commitment to putting our presidential nominee on the path to victory for the November 2008 election."

The recommendations by Governor Dean will be presented to the Convention Rules Committee next summer and then voted on by the delegates to the 2008 Convention at the opening session. The Permanent Chair and Co-Chairs preside over the Convention proceedings, ensuring order, decorum and efficiency as the Party nominates its presidential and vice presidential candidates, adopts the National Platform and conducts other important business.

I would have to check, but this is likely the first all-female Chair team in the history of the convention. Pelosi comments:

"At the convention," she said, "Democrats will share with the American people our priorities and values that will take our nation in a new direction."

FEC approves $16.3M for conventions

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One piece of the money puzzle:

The Federal Election Commission today announced that each of the two major political parties’ convention committees will receive initial payments of $16,356,000 from the U.S. Treasury for planning and conducting their respective 2008 Presidential nominating conventions.
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The FEC has certified that the two convention committees have met all eligibility requirements and the Commission today sent letters to the Secretary of the Treasury, requesting that the payments be made.

In exchange for public funding of the conventions, committees agree to certain requirements, including spending limits, the filing of periodic disclosure reports, and detailed audits.

You wonder what it would take for a 3rd party to meet the requirements to get this money.

Union rooms hard to come by

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One of the biggest problems with Denver's bid to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention was the lack of union hotel rooms. But when workers at the Hyatt Regency formed a union, it was a huge boost to Denver's chances. But the Hyatt is only one hotel, and rather than having the states fight over which delegations get to stay there...

In a significant break with tradition, no state delegations will stay in a unionized hotel in Denver during the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the national party confirmed Wednesday. Because there is just one unionized hotel in the city, Democratic National Convention Committee officials were concerned that states with high union representation would be clamoring for the 1,100-room Hyatt Regency Denver.

The Hyatt will be used during the Aug. 25-28, 2008, convention but will probably house national party officials and support staff....The arrangement disappoints many Democrats, whose rule of thumb is to seek out union hotels whenever they travel and who are accustomed to staying at union hotels during convention week. The last time Democratic conventioneers traveled to a city with little to no union representation was 1988, in Atlanta.

But several state party officials interviewed said they considered the accommodation plan a workable solution. "There is one union hotel in all of Denver," said New York State Democratic Party chairwoman June O'Neill. "It's the reality."

DNCC staff discussed the plan at a meeting of Democratic state party chairs in Annapolis, Md., in May. The announcement drew an audible reaction. "There was a collective sigh," said Mary Insenhour, the executive director for the Pennsylvania party. "But what are we going to do?"

You know this drives Pennsylvania and other union states crazy. From last October:

Democratic delegates from states with strong union presences say they're uneasy about staying in non-union hotels. "We simply cannot," said Vivian Guinan, comptroller of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.

This is the price the DNC is paying to have the convention in Denver, but it is still a reasonable price to pay to have the convention in a not pure blue state.

And to take this one step further, in the one union hotel, the union contract is still not in place:

Nearly nine months have past since hotel workers at the Hyatt Regency in Denver made the decision to unionize, and Colorado Confidential has learned that employees are still without a contract.

Can a hotel really be a union hotel without a union contract?

DNCC: Denver transportation will be different

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In a response to my comments that Denver's transportation problems could be just as bad as previous conventions, the DNCC (Democratic National Convention Committee) notes:

The convention in Denver is likely to be less disruptive than in previous cities because of the Pepsi Center's walking-distance proximity to many hotels and post-Convention event venues. This will greatly reduce the number of buses in use in Denver vs. prior Convention host cities. In addition, the number of parking lots arond the Pepsi Center (as compared to the Fleet Center in Boston) will allow for more space to sort people and stage buses around Convention hours, again, minimizing disruption. This combination of a high number of walking-distance hotels and post-Convention event venues AND considerable lot space around the Convention venue is something we have not had at least as far back as the '96 Convention in Chicago.

Having seen buses lined up on closed streets around previous convention sites, available parking lots adjacent to the site should make things easier in Denver.

States check out Denver hotels

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Close-in hotels will be at a premium at the 2008 Democratic Convention, so which delegations will get the best hotels?

Delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver next year are scoping out the 17,000 hotel rooms they will need as convention planners began sorting out the logistical issues on Wednesday, including transportation, lodging and security.
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Deputy chief of operations Cameron Moody said convention officials have to find 17,000 hotel rooms for the 4,950 delegates and alternates, plus thousands more family members, media and others who will attend the convention, which begins Aug. 25, 2008.

They also have to arrange to get them to from their hotels to the convention and other venues.

Moody said the convention will be less disruptive in Denver than it was in previous venues because it will be held downtown. He said delegates will travel downtown before the afternoon rush hour and return to their hotels late at night, allowing them to stay downtown for dinner and other activities.

Now Moody has lots of convention experience, but he has his facts quite mixed up. Every Democratic Convention since at least 1976 has been in the "downtown" part of the city. (If someone wants to correct me on Chicago's United Center in 1996, please do so). And delegates always travel to the site before afternoon rush hour and leave late at night. Not to mention all those "dinner and other activities" taking place right in the middle of rush hour. Face it transportation is always a problem for conventions, and Denver will likely be no different.

The Denver Post has more:

Democrats on Wednesday kicked off the process of divvying up hotel rooms for the 7,000 delegates who will attend the 2008 national convention in Denver.

Party officials from seven states, including Colorado, are in town to tour hotels Wednesday and today. Visits scheduled for mid-July and mid-August will round out the chance for the 56 delegations to view prospective living places for next summer when they come to anoint the presidential nominee.
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After the three delegation visits, officials will submit their top five choices for hotels to the Democratic Party in September. The party then assigns rooms by the end of November.

Host Committee auctioning Rockies' first pitch

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While the Denver Host Committee is having problems raising money for the 2008 Democratic Convention, this is a creative idea:

The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, in conjunction with the Rockies, is offering the opportunity to throw out the opening pitch of the Rockies-Yankees game at 7:05 p.m. June 20. Highest bidder at DenverConvention2008.com gets the nod.

"Linda Alvarado (co-owner of the Rockies) is on our finance committee, and the mayor loves baseball, so we thought this would be great," said Elbra Wedgeworth, president of the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee. "We have a lot of great baseball fans here and a lot of support for the Democratic National Convention. We want to promote the largest convention ever in the city of Denver, and the Rockies are supporting us."

The winning bidder also will receive two premier tickets donated by Alvarado to the game at Coors Field. The Rockies-Yankees series marks the first time the teams have met in Denver since 2002.

Dems and GOP team up to raise convention money

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Not sure this has happened before:

Looking for ways to boost fundraising for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, Mayor John Hickenlooper has formed a strategic partnership with planners for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.

Denver's host committee was supposed to have $7.5 million in the bank by Friday but said late in the day that it had only $5.5 million. ... Hickenlooper's spokeswoman, Marlena Fernandez Berkowitz, said Saturday that the mayor will team up this summer with St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman to make the rounds in several cities. St. Paul will host the Republicans in 2008. "It's a lot of money to raise," Fernandez Berkowitz said. "I think the good news is there are a lot of companies who are willing to contribute."

"I guess that means we're going to have to work harder," said Tom Clark, executive vice president with the Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce and also the Metro Denver Economic Development Corp., of the money in the bank so far. "That's kind of disappointing that it's that number. ... But Denver's good for it."

The contract allows the host committee a grace period of seven business days to bank the extra $2 million. The host committee also was to have established a $19.5 million line of credit to cover any gaps in fundraising. The host committee hasn't set up that credit line.

The next fundraising deadline is Dec. 14, when the host committee must have deposited a total of $15 million. With the new commitments raised since the DNC announced in January that it would hold its convention in Denver, the host committee's pledges now total $27 million in cash and in-kind services.

I guess the joint fundraising makes sense, as some companies can give to both conventions and avoid the appearance of any partisanship.

But now we know the "real" deadline is another week away. And what happens when that "deadline" is missed? Probably nothing.

Update:

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak said Monday that he and Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, a "good friend," plan to collaborate on an event in Washington, D.C., to raise money for both conventions. "This will be a "Kumbaya" moment, not only for Republicans and Democrats, but also Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul," Rybak said. "There will be a whole lot of loving going on as long as we can raise a few million dollars for Minneapolis-St. Paul."

Rybak said he was unaware of two cities with major party conventions ever holding a joint fundraiser.

Denver misses fundraising deadline

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Well, as was speculated, the Denver host committee missed the first deadline to raise money for the 2008 Democratic National Convention:

The committee raising funds for the Democratic National Convention next year hasn't met a June 1 deadline to have $7.5 million in the bank, but organizers insist they're not worried. "When you're talking about raising $45 million, that's a challenge for anyone," said Elbra Wedgeworth, president of the Denver 2008 host committee. "The Democratic National Committee is confident we can do this." The national committee has established a series of deadlines for Denver to meet in its goal of raising $55 million for the convention. The host committee is expected to raise at least $40 million in cash and $15 million in in-kind donations for the Aug. 25-28, 2008 event.
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A sources who spoke on the condition he not be identified said that the host committee has fallen short of the $7.5 million cash goal. How far short is not clear. The committee has $28 million in total commitments, but only a fraction of that is in the bank. Many of those pledges involve a mix of in-kind services and cash.

Already, Governor Bill Ritter and Denver mayor John Hickenlooper have traveled out of state to ask for donations for the event. Hickenlooper recently traveled to New York to meet with executives at several Wall Street firms and ask for their support. Because Denver has only a handful of Fortune 500 firms, much of the fund-raising will have to take place out of state. "We'll have to go outside of our region to raise funds," said Wedgeworth. "We're going to individuals, large companies and mom and pops."

If there's no penalty for not meeting a deadline, I wonder why they have any deadlines at all?

Update: The Denver Post has more details:

Reached in the afternoon, president Elbra Wedgeworth said the host committee will bank "1 or 2 million" less than the $7.5 million its contract with the Democratic Party says must be collected by today. In a follow-up discussion, she said "more has come in (Thursday), a significant amount."
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"We basically have the pledges, but they're not going to be in by the deadline," Wedgeworth said. Denver's contract with the Democratic National Committee sets four fundraising milestones geared toward ensuring that the party has the money it needs to prepare for the convention. The host committee's final deadline is June 16, 2008, when it must have $40.6 million in the bank.

The contract allows for an extension of seven business days. A potential complicating factor is that the contract also required that the host committee establish a nearly $20 million line of credit, should the money not be in after the seven-day extension, but the committee hasn't done that.

Wedgeworth said that DNC chairman Howard Dean is aware of the fundraising situation and isn't pressing for funds immediately. Instead, Wedgeworth said, the June 1 date was more of a goal than a firm deadline and the DNC doesn't immediately need the money.

OK, so now it's a goal, not a deadline. Got it.

Denver in money push

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The Denver 2008 Host Committee committed to have $7.5 million for the 2008 Democratic Convention in the bank by June 1, but they may not make it:

The Denver host committee's Steven Farber, a powerful Denver lawyer and moneyman; Mayor John Hickenlooper; and Gov. Bill Ritter are working as many as 50 potential donors - about 20 of them in private meetings - during a conference of the International Council of Shopping Centers at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
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Farber said he hopes the Las Vegas trip and a trip next month to Los Angeles will secure the commitments for the more than $40 million in cash and $15 million in services needed to meet Democratic National Committee requirements. The hard work of getting actual deposits will remain.
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At least $2.7 million is in.
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Of the nearly 30 mostly local donors who pledged more than $21 million in cash and services when the DNC picked Denver to host the convention, seven are known to have actually sent in checks, totaling $2.7 million. The DNC contract calls for $7.5 million in the bank by June 1.
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June 1 is the first of four milestones in a timeline that specifies $40.6 million in cash must be available by July 1, 2008.

Interviews with original donors who pledged $50,000 or more found that seven had sent in checks: Union Pacific has sent in $1 million; Xcel Energy, $1 million; Molson Coors, $250,000; TeleTech, $250,000; Chase, $100,000; Wells Fargo, $62,500; and CH2M Hill, $50,000.

That $2.7 million figure could be significantly higher, as two major donors didn't respond to interview requests.

I doubt there's any "penalty" for not meeting the deadline, but it will be interesting to see if they make it.

Sorry for the lack of posts recently, and things will improve in the future.

Dean looking at future conventions

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Throughout the competition to host the 2008 Democratic Convention, a number of people commented here and elsewhere that a large convention was antiquated in this day and age, and alternatives should be looked at: shorter conventions, conventions held in multiple venues simultaneously, or even on-line. Well DNC Chairman Howard Dean wants to take a look at it:

Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean said Thursday the days of the $60 million political convention coronations are numbered and he's studying ways to make them more relevant to average people.

Dean said politicians need to find more ways to connect with voters, going door to door, instead of depending on television to deliver their messages. He said next year's convention in Denver will be different.

"We've got to change the way we do conventions in this country. I'm looking to try to make this a transitional convention, in the sense that the day of the $50-$60 million convention is coming to a close. The day of one-way campaigns where we do everything on television, and we don't listen to people before, is coming to a close. We need to be knocking on doors, talking to them directly, asking their opinions," Dean said during an interview on the Aaron Harber show on KDBI-TV.

I like Dean's intentions, but they're going to be hard to implement. That one hour of free television time for the nominee's speech, in front of 20,000 cheering people, along with all the other press coverage, is going to be hard to give up. And for that to happen you have to have the convention somewhere, and that's going to cost money. On the other hand, the economics of the convention make it much less of an attraction for the host cities, and I've wondered in the past whether there will even be any cities in the future that want to host these things.

Dean: We have peace with union leaders

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In an interview on Denver radio, DNC Chairman Howard Dean was optimistic about the labor issues that have plagued planning for the 2008 Democratic Convention:

Dean said Denver officials have made peace with union leaders who say Denver is too hostile to unions to be the site of the party's 2008 convention and he believes the convention will go off without a hitch.

"I don't envision a big labor blowup over the convention," he said. Dean planned to meet with labor leaders later Thursday to drum up support.

Let's see if the Denver labor leaders feel the same way.

1908 Convention fountain to live again

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Denver is going to reconstruct a fountain originally built for the 1908 Democratic National Convention:

Just before the 1908 Democratic National Convention, Denver Mayor Robert Speer pushed to finish a fountain in City Park that fascinated onlookers in much the same way as the current Bellagio water show on the Las Vegas strip.

For a generation now, Speer's Prismatic Electric Fountain has been known as little more than a concrete thing in the middle of Ferril Lake. But city officials said people used to gather on the banks to take in 90-foot spires of water lit up by an array of colored lights.

A century later - and decades since it was last in use - Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper is working to get the fountain up and running before the Democrats come calling again.

Some fountain facts:

• Cost to build Ferril Lake fountain at City Park in 1908: $19,500
• Approximate cost for the new fountain that will mirror fountain's 1908 capabilities: $2.4 million

See here for more on the fountain's history and future.

Utah wins convention housing priority lottery

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Great inside stuff from DemNotes. At the meeting of the Association of State Democratic Chairs (ASDC), the states got assigned priorities to help decide which states get the preferred hotels at the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver:

The state parties were understandably very focused on the housing process, and how hotels would be assigned to each delegation. It is a very complicated process, with many variables. Fitting states into hotels at a national convention is like a multi-dimensional puzzle, with the need to match the number of rooms available with as many delegations as possible, while taking into account what hotels each delegation wants. Some may want a lower-cost hotel, even if it means further distance from the Pepsi Center; others may want to sacrifice price for location and amenities.
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One of the big variables in the process is a state’s “priority”. The states are randomly placed into numerical priorities, from 1 to 56 (there are 56 delegations, as the DNC treats the territories, DC, and Democrats Abroad as separate state delegations). Today was the day we each learned our priority — the housing lottery was held this afternoon.
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Because we’re the Host State, the DNCC invited us to be the first state to pick. Alas, our “first in the nation” status didn’t help greatly, as our lottery priority is right in the middle at 24. Then, each state went, in reverse alphabetical order, after Colorado.

24 isn’t horrible. But it isn’t Utah. Utah Chair Wayne Holland and his crew went to the front and pulled out hat number 1. Since Utahns are expecting to have some stiff competition to attend the Convention next door, this is quite a coup for the Beehive State Dems. The jubilant Utah Democaratic leaders were soon getting offers (semi-serious) from the Hawaii Chair to exchange all sorts of things, including trips to Hawaii for State Party leaders, in exchange for Utah’s Number 1 status (Hawaii picked number 30).
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In reality, the lottery position is only one of many variables that will be used in determining housing placements. But its definitely the most fun variable!
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According to the DNCC plans, there are still a lot of steps before we find out who gets what lodging. State Party leaders will be trekking through Denver individually to tour and inspect hotels during June, July and August. Then, in September, they will be submitting their preferences to the DNCC, who should have some assignments ready for the state parties by November.

I'd love to know what Hawaii is offering to "move up" in the preference order. And there should be another lottery, probably in the winter or early spring, to determine where the state delegations get assigned on the floor of the convention hall. I'll keep an eye for news on that one.

Trailer for Sale or Rent

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While Roger Miller was able to find a room for 50 cents, it will cost a little more to find private housing during the 2008 Democratic Convention. Check out this ad from Craigslist: $15,000 gets you a week at a a 5 bedroom home with plasma TV and optional basset hound. (Hat tip to Colorado Confidential).

More talks with labor

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The Democrats are continuing their discussions with labor. This time it's Colorado Governor Bill Ritter:

Gov. Bill Ritter met today with AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and promised to work with him to resolve problems with organized labor leading up to the Democratic National Convention next year. Ritter, a Democrat, said he and Sweeney discussed the lack of union workers at area hotels, problems over contracts with stage hands and the temporary use of union labor at the main convention venue, the Pepsi Center.
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Sweeney said that "a number of labor issues" arise over the staging of a national political convention, "and so, many of our local unions here have issues that they wanted to raise and which they are raising and we will be working on from now until the convention."
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Sweeney declined to say what the union would do if agreements aren't reached on the outstanding issues, including the hiring of union stagehands for the convention and signing a contract with the Hyatt Hotel, the main hotel for delegates.

"I really am very optimistic that not just the hotel issue, but that many of these issues that relate directly to the convention, that every effort will be made to resolve them and I'd like to focus on that and not talk about what if," Sweeney said.

It certainly seems that tensions have cooled after this meeting and the meetings that Dean held last week. There will likely be flare-ups as things move along, but with national figures like Sweeney and Dean now heavily involved, hopefully things will settle down.

Howard Dean's Screamin' Goodtime Jamboree

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An amusing look at Dean's April 12th visit to Denver.

DNC and labor making progress

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Finally, some cooler heads may be prevailing in the disputes between labor and the organizers of the 2008 Democratic Convention:

Organizers of the Democratic National Convention made progress Thursday in resolving labor disputes that threatened to overshadow the event.

Labor officials were granted a seat on the Denver 2008 host committee that they had sought since last summer. The leader of one of the state's largest unions said it was time to "move on," and national AFL-CIO President John Sweeney flew into Denver to "tone down the rhetoric" that has surrounded the debate over labor issues in Colorado.
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Several sources said the atmosphere at the meeting was cordial. Much of the discussion involved the contract local unions have been asked to sign promising not to picket or disrupt the convention. The Pepsi Center is normally a nonunion facility, but during the convention only union labor will be used.

The local stagehands union has objected to working in a non- union facility and had refused to sign the contract. National representatives from that union, as well as from the construction trades, the communication workers and Unite Here - which organizes hotel workers - all met with Dean and Hickenlooper.

At the meeting, labor was promised a seat on the Denver 2008 Host committee. The unions also asked for Hickenlooper's help in organizing downtown hotels. About one-third of the 6,000 delegates are expected to be union members, and they prefer to stay at a union hotel. However, the new convention center Hyatt Regency is currently the only hotel that's been organized.
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"A lot of us want to move on," said Mitch Ackerman, Colorado president of the Service Employees International Union

More from AFL-CIO president John Sweeney:

Sweeney met with union reps who had attended the Dean meeting.

"I think the discussion was a good discussion," Sweeney said as he left the Hyatt Regency - the one city hotel where workers have formed a union and are negotiating for a contract. "But there's a lot of work that needs to be done."

And from Mitch Ackerman, president of the Colorado Council of the Service Employees International Union:

"There is consternation about the fact that a nonunion venue was chosen, and there is some consternation that this is a town where workers really struggle to form unions."

As I've said, regardless of threats, the convention is staying in Denver, so it make sense for all sides to figure out ways to work out their differences.

DNCC vs Host Committee

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

Dan Slater explains the difference:

Right now, there are two separate organizations who are charged with running the Convention planning effort. The first is the Denver 2008 Host Committee, which most of you have heard about. Denver 2008 is locally-run, and is the group that formed the convention bid and are now working to raise the money and volunteers to support that bid. Right now, anybody locally who is working on the Convention is probably working with this group. However, there is a separate organization, known as the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC), which is the arm of the DNC charged with running the Convention for the DNC. The DNCC is the group that gets the FEC grant to run the Convention, and in the end, the DNCC will be spending most of the money raised by the Denver 2008 Host Committee.

In the end, the DNCC is primarily concerned with making sure that what goes on at the Convention is a good portrayal of Democrats in general and our nominee in specific. The Host Committee, on the other hand, is primarily concerned with making sure that Denver looks good (by making the Convention look good). That’s quite an over-simplification, but it probably gets the point across. The DNC wants people running the DNCC to be folks who know what putting together a successful Convention is about, and who have done this in the past — and who answer to the DNC. That’s why the team running the DNCC looks a little different than those running the Host Committee.