The following piece was produced through OffTheBus, a citizen journalism project hosted at the Huffington Post and launched in partnership with NewAssignment.Net. For more information, read Arianna Huffington's project introduction. If you'd like to join our blogging team, sign up here.
Denver is set to be the host of the Democratic Convention in 2008, and is the smallest metro area to host a major nominating convention in the last twenty years. Previously it was New Orleans, a city largely used to handling influxes of people before Hurricane Katrina.
Here in Denver, we have the reputation of being a cow town. As recently as twenty years ago it was common to see businessmen sporting cowboy hats and boots. No more. Downtown you'll see suits, and in outlying areas the summer dress code is shorts and sandals. It's also become a sophisticated mid-size city with excellent restaurants and plenty of cultural opportunities. You can be at 12,000 feet on the Continental Divide in less than ninety minutes, and the city has miles of trails and paved bike paths.
Just how will Denver handle the security, fundraising and logistical challenges?
For starters, by delaying the start of school. School began this year on August 20. Denver Public Schools are considering starting after Labor Day next year. This would avoid potential traffic problems, but would also permit students and teachers to be involved in the event.
The Host Committee says it will need 10,000 volunteers working the convention. So far more than half that number have expressed interest on their web site, but it's logical to assume not all of them will come through.
Fundraising would have not been a problem had the Dems selected New York. In Denver, the commitment was made to raise $40 million in cash and $15 million in in-kind services. The latter goal has been reached, but after falling short of its June benchmark for cash, the host committee told AP it "declines to comment on updated fund-raising figures." Denver's Major John Hickenlooper has been making out-of-state trips to meet with potential donors and is "not worried."
The 2004 convention in Boston was criticized for the so-called "Free Speech Zone," a walled-in space for protests that was not seen by convention attendees. To avoid last-minute disputes like those experienced in Boston, Denver authorities have already engaged in talks with potential protest groups even though the Secret Service will have final say over security arrangements. Meanwhile Denver has recruited 300 additional officers from neighboring Aurora to work during convention week.
I was in New York recently and told a new acquaintance I lived in Denver. I got this squinty look of non-recognition. For much of the country, especially the eastern seaboard, we are in the flyover zone. There is hope here that the media attention Denver receives will present an updated picture to the rest of the country. Nowadays Denver's politics are strongly Democratic, and Colorado is gradually moving in the same direction; Colorado is no longer a hole in a Republican donut. Our governor is now a Democrat, as are the governors of Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and Arizona. Will the convention change politics in Colorado? Only time will tell.
The above piece was produced through OffTheBus, a citizen journalism project hosted at the Huffington Post and launched in partnership with NewAssignment.Net. For more information, read Arianna Huffington's project introduction. If you'd like to join our blogging team, sign up here.