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Denver officials giddy after pulling off historic DNC

By Kevin Vaughan, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 29, 2008 at 8:58 p.m.

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As crews take down stages at Invesco Field, Stephen Hearding of All Phases Construction leaps from one platform to another.

Matt McClain / The Rocky /

As crews take down stages at Invesco Field, Stephen Hearding of All Phases Construction leaps from one platform to another.

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In the beginning, they didn't even know if they could land the Democratic National Convention.

And toward the end, they didn't know if 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, 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.

"To make it very clear, I'm not glad it's over," said Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, who admitted in the spring that the strain of fundrasing was getting to him.

"The Chicago Cubs used to have a second baseman named Ernie Banks. And every day he'd come to the ballpark and they'd say how you doing? And he'd say 'let's play two.'

"So I'm ready to have the second one start tomorrow."

They could laugh about it Friday, 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 2 1/2 years ago when Elbra Wedgeworth, a member of the Denver City Council, began asking why the DNC couldn't be brought to her hometown.

And it continued as Howard Dean, head of the Democratic National Committee, wondered whether Denver could find the $40 million — or more — needed to put on the convention.

"I'll never forget the day Howard Dean called and said 'it's yours,' " said Denver attorney Steve Farber, a key fundraiser for the convention. "He said one thing. He said, 'Will you commit to raise the money?' I said, 'Chairman Dean, no issue at all.' "

It turned out that it was an issue.

The host committee missed two of the four deadlines for raising money, and was roughly $11 million short in June when it was supposed to have $40.6 million in the bank.

But in recent weeks it all came together, and Hickenlooper and Mike Dino, chief executive of the host committee, said they now had over $50 million in the bank — enough, they say, to cover all the costs associated with putting on the four-day convention.

"I don't anticipate we'll have any problem paying our bills," Hickenlooper said.

So 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.

And while it was too early to measure the economic impact, Hickenlooper said he saw benefits that can't be quantified in dollars and cents.

"A huge part of the benefit is not just how the world looks at us but how we look at ourselves," Hickenlooper said.

He recalled one of his 2003 campaign themes: "Federico Peña imagined a great city, Wellington Webb built a great city, now it's time to be a great city."

"If there was some way we could do a measure of people's minds around the metro area, we'd see that they do believe," Hickenlooper said.

Comments

  • August 29, 2008

    9:25 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    LazyR writes:

    Did you budget for the lawsuits?

  • August 29, 2008

    9:30 p.m.

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    crazeditalian writes:

    Some people just don't seem to ever have anything nice to say. Take a happy pill, LazyR! What a grouch.

  • August 29, 2008

    9:32 p.m.

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    solar_satellite writes:

    Placing more riot police in Civic Center Park and on the Mall than visitors to those places, macing a protest march, falsely arresting 100 participants in it -- if Denver's aim was to express its reactionary and obsessive concern with law and order in the face of small, peaceful protests, it succeeded brilliantly. The spectacle of our public spaces being patrolled by thousands of riot police suggested that a public safety emergency was underway, as opposed to the Democratic National Convention. There were no feces or urine bombs, no assaults by radical anarchists, there weren't even any significant acts of civil disobedience. Many citizens were dissuaded from even visiting the downtown during the convention, for fear of nonexistant unrest (or perhaps our own police department). You fall over yourself applying the balm of self-congratulation when you yourselves encouraged the city's absurd overreaction. Even if Denver were to spend another $50,000,000 in settlements with those it assaulted and falsely arrested I doubt that its monumental complacency would be shaken -- thanks so much for doing your part, RMN. Denver officials are giddy all right; giddy from the abuse of power! It's high time the citizens stopped reading your pandering, and reform City government. Hypocrite Hick is suffering from delusions of grandeur.

  • August 29, 2008

    10:21 p.m.

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    rj1967 writes:

    The number of law enforcement who were all over downtown and at DIA was over kill, plain and simple. You don't need 20 fat cops on bicycles followed by a cop car followed by riot police in vans on the 16th street mall. On Wednesday afternoon I saw more than 20 cops in front of the federal reserve bank standing around with their thumbs up their arse, for lack of better things to do.

  • August 29, 2008

    10:44 p.m.

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    Darwin writes:

    I agree, for the most part things went well during the convention. Of course there were many police present. The demonstrators estimated there would be at least 20,000 descending on Denver and perhaps as many as 50,000. Better to be prepared and better to prevent things from getting out of control.

  • August 29, 2008

    10:58 p.m.

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    Security375 writes:

    You know what amazes me is that Denver never once said how well security did out there... The security people kicked butt and made sure all the important people were protected along with the secret service, because the secret service was just as impressed with security as we were impressed with them. So the politicals of Denver need not take credit, credit is due to all law enforcement agencies and security companies and secret service of course, without us this would have never happended, kudo's to all!!!!!!!!!!!

  • August 29, 2008

    11:42 p.m.

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    SteveM writes:

    Solar and RJ, your comments are incongruous. Do you not recall the hopes and prayers of many that the DNC and the city burn? The security was there just in case. Had it not been, you'd obviously both be blasting the lack of security. You and your neocon subversive attitudes are outmoded. Move on.

    As for Security375, I don't get your voice? The politicos aren't taking all the credit. They are very grateful to the security forces for which they raised the money and paid handsomely. But, had it not been for the politicos, there would have been no convention and no wages for this brilliant security now would there?

  • August 30, 2008

    12:43 a.m.

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    easy writes:

    Giddy?

    Proud, Satisfied, Fulfilled, Motivated ... anyone of those will work.

  • August 30, 2008

    3:47 a.m.

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    LOUIE writes:

    My sincerest thanks and gratitude to all the men and women of the police departments and others involved in keeping our city safe. Because of your vast and overwhelming presence, and your concern for the community as a whole, the convention went off better than expected, and showcased Denver as a beautifully safe city. Because of you, our image was not tarnished, by those whose threats of destruction never materialized. With under 5000 total protesters, out of a nation of over 250 million people, it is safe to say you served the majority of our people well, in protecting the rights of all people, even the protesters. Destroying property, and trampling the rights of others, is not a right, it's a crime. Thank you for making our city safe, and giving the residents of this city something to be proud of. We owe you a debt of gratitude for your sacrifices, thanks!

  • August 30, 2008

    7:47 a.m.

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    Acemon writes:

    I'm one of the more presistent critics of Denver's policies and behavior, but the convention was a winner. I was lucky enough to attend on Monday, then at the "coronation" at Invesco. Yeah, there were a lot of cops and plainclothes all over, but they didn't cause problems or beat anyone up other than those who incited violence or fought back. Considering how many protest groups predicted hundreds, if not thousands, flooding the city with marches and possible confrontations, I think having extra police was a good idea. As an example, look at how many cops are deployed during Bronco games because fights break out and they need the manpower to keep order. Let's watch the upcoming convention and see how that host city handles security. I'll bet it will look a lot like Denver.

  • August 30, 2008

    8:55 a.m.

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    solar_satellite writes:

    You people are a bunch of bleating sheep. SteveM, "Do you not recall the hopes and prayers of many that the DNC and the city burn?" -- what absolute nonsense! If you aren't interested in the facts, why bother to read? Denver's government and the media whipped up unreasonable fears of protest, mustered an army on our streets, and committed false arrest en masse; this is what just happened in our city. I'm afraid your capacity and desire for self-delusion is unbounded. Craven Doug Linkhart, will say anything and everything you want to hear, so I suppose he'll be Denver's next mayor-dictator.

  • August 30, 2008

    8:58 a.m.

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    cdmdenver writes:

    "LET'S PLAY TWO"!!!

  • August 30, 2008

    9:58 a.m.

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    solar_satellite writes:

    Sure, hats off to Hypocrite Hick and his Gang for their abrogation of the civil rights of peaceful protesters! Spectacular! Nitwit!

  • August 30, 2008

    7:38 p.m.

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    anderson writes:

    Kudos to city officials for their planning, and to police officers and protesters for their restraint. HOW many stories did we hear from the fear mongers in the right wing media (e.g., Limbaugh, Mike Rosen), that the convention would do the city harm and that mayhem *would* result? (cough, cough) Look out, they'll be selling fear from a new angle next week. Meanwhile, Denver stands to benefit for a long time to come. I'm sure many visitors couldn't help but notice how beautiful the weather and the state is.

  • September 2, 2008

    8:22 a.m.

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    OhBrother writes:

    HA! Didn't a bunch of twits claim that the worst riots in history would happen here? How's that crow taste? Oh that's right, they are long gone and would never admit there mistakes anyways-good work operation chaos!