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Mayor tries to soothe concerns about Dems' convention

April M. Washington, Rocky Mountain News

Published September 12, 2007 at midnight

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Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper today urged downtown businesses to look beyond the logistical challenges of the Democratic National Convention.

He asked residents and businesses instead to take advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in the Democratic process and showcase Denver to the world.

"There's a notion that the convention is something happening in Denver and we don't have to participate," he said. "The actual seeds of democracy are being planted right in our city. This is a unique and wonderful opportunity."

One year from now, Denver will be the center of American politics when Democrats meet at the Pepsi Center to nominate their presidential candidate.

Hickenlooper and organizers for the Democratic National Convention today kicked off the first in a series of community forums, fielding questions from a crowd of more than 300 people gathered at the Walnut Foundry in downtown Denver.

Organizers will hold 10 community forums, dubbed "Community Conversations," throughout the Denver metro area as they begin to lay the groundwork for the 2008 convention next August.

Already business owners and residents expressed concerns about the logistics of the convention, with many envisioning traffic clogging downtown streets, street closures, security blockades, or worse, hoards of media portraying downtown as a scary place to come.

"I'm concerned about street closures and people getting to work. When the NBA All-Star game was here, business suffered," said Lee Goodfriend, owner of Racines restaurant. "How do we stop the media from scaring away people from downtown?"

Others wanted assurance from the Hickenlooper and the DNC that local business would get a lion's share of convention contracts and business.

Hickenlooper said that the convention is expected to pump $160 million into the regional economy.

The convention is expected to draw 35,000 visitors, including dozens of U.S. senators, members of Congress and governors, 15,000 journalists and 12,000 local volunteers.

"We want to make sure all in the Denver community get a piece of the pie," Hickenlooper said