Denver mayor travels far and wide in pursuit of funding for Democrats' convention
By David Montero, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published June 14, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Photo by Chris Schneider/The Rocky
John Hickenlooper talks with Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Mark Funkhouser during a DNC fundraising trip Friday.
Photo by Chris Schneider/The Rocky
Hickenlooper walks with David Warm, executive director of the Mid-America Regional Council, right, during the mayor's fundraising visit to Kansas City.
Photo by Chris Schneider/The Rocky
John Hickenlooper, right, talks to Terrence Dunn, president and CEO of JE Dunn Construction Group, as the Denver mayor meets potential DNC donors Friday in Kansas City, Mo.
He spent the short flight poring over biographical details of the men he would later meet in the swanky restaurant, looking for any tidbit that might give him an extra insight or conversational cornerstone.
Like any good salesman, he dressed the part. When he got off the plane and walked through the terminal - suit jacket slung over a shoulder, battered leather briefcase in hand - it was already go-time.
"Can I go to the restroom first?" Mayor John Hickenlooper asked Tyler Nottberg.
Nottberg smiled. He has known the mayor for more than a year and understands the grueling schedule that is about to start.
Hickenlooper walked off. He had less than an hour to be at The Capital Grille to meet with five high-powered movers and shakers and either extract money from them for the Democratic National Convention or get them to hook him up with other potential donors.
The clock was already ticking. This trip - the last fundraising effort before the Denver 2008 Host Committee hits its Monday deadline to raise $40.6 million - would be quick. Essentially 24 hours of meetings stacked upon meetings stacked upon meetings.
Suddenly, the mayor was back clutching a Blackberry.
"I've had 10 e-mails since I got off the plane," he said with a sigh. "That's called piling it on."
Nottberg asked him if he's ready.
"Let's go."
'They liked me'
Hickenlooper was outnumbered politically.
Three Republicans and a lone fellow Democrat sat with him around a table draped in white linen - wine glasses turned upside down. The Capital Grille is the kind of restaurant with deep burgundy wood walls and carpet soaked daily by the aroma of thick steaks.
The waiters wore leg-length aprons with their names engraved on gold badges and floated around ready to respond to any request. After a series of handshakes and quick jokes, the diners all sat down.
Then the mayor began to sell - softly. Ever so softly.
He talked about what he liked about Kansas City and how he almost opened a brew pub there in the late '90s. He leaned forward with chin resting in his hand after asking David Oliver, a high-end defense attorney, about his work in complex, class action litigation - information he'd gleaned from his reading on the plane.
Oliver gave a short answer and quickly turned the conversation to problems facing Kansas City and the lack of initiative to make the city into the vibrant economic center he seemed to think Denver had become.
Hickenlooper listened.
"A lot of people here think we've already reached The Promised Land," Oliver complained.
Next to him, sipping a beer, Kevin Pistilli, who operates a few hotels, piggy-backed onto the conversation.
"A lot of people think we've accomplished what we need to accomplish," he said. "It's like they're saying 'We're done.' But we should be just getting started."
The men stopped talking. Hickenlooper took a sip of his pale ale - poured straight into the glass with a huge head of foam - and began telling his story.
He talked about getting 32 mayors to sign on to a massive light-rail project. Getting a justice center built downtown. Landing the Democratic National Convention. Starting a microbrewery in what was then a dilapidated part of downtown Denver.
Matt Forjanio, the server, came to take orders.
The other men ordered meat. Hickenlooper got salmon. A bottle of champagne came compliments of the restaurant.
Hickenlooper fiddled with his plate. More small talk. It wasn't until an hour later and salads had been served that the convention came up. He would make two more mentions of it - never pushy and always with a self-deprecating laugh.
But he'd cast the lines. After dinner, he privately talked with each of the men. Business cards and other contact information were exchanged. There were whispers, more handshakes and some smiles.
The mayor was pleased.
"They liked me. This was a successful evening. They're all going to work for our success. One guy will write a check," Hickenlooper said. "I don't know yet, but he gave me his card and said, 'Send me your information and I'll write you a check.' So whether that's $25,000 or $50,000 - he's a fairly small restaurant owner - so I don't know if it will be really big dollars, maybe $5,000 or $10,000."
Tough donation trail
The trail traveled seeking cash for the Denver 2008 Host Committee has taken Hickenlooper coast to coast with plenty of stops in between. Some trips, like this one in Kansas City, are at breakneck pace.
By the time he'd gone to bed at midnight, Hickenlooper had set himself up for a short night. He got up just after 6 a.m. and faced addressing in private a group of 25 business executives.
"I need at least six to seven hours of sleep," he said a little wearily. "Less than that and it's rough."
Eating a bowl of oatmeal ("Always on the road"), the mayor was sitting in The Crystal Cup with David Warm, executive director of the Mid-America Regional Council. Warm was responsible for getting the mayor to meet with a potential donor who lived in Kansas City but also had a place in Aspen.
Warm also had to get Hickenlooper to the Westin Hotel for a speech to about 500 people on a theme the mayor had been hammering - building sustainable partnerships. Also on the slate was a meeting with Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser and then two meetings with a pair of construction firms before catching a flight back to Denver.
Warm said the mayor made a good impression on the executives.
"He doesn't have a hard sell. He's matter-of-fact, plain-spoken and people respond well to that," Warm said. "I didn't even know he was a geologist until this morning."
Hickenlooper was on his Blackberry. The e-mails didn't stop and several times he had to excuse himself from the table inside the busy breakfast joint.
Geology, he said when he had a moment, appealed to him because it was pragmatic and allowed for a longterm view of events. It wasn't hard for him to draw a parallel between the science and his fundraising duties.
"It is not instantaneous," Hickenlooper said. "It requires a significant dedication and a lot of patience."
Sharing city's success
Sharon Hoffman was sitting on the couch waiting for him. Inside the hotel lobby, quiet music played and a waterfall gurgled nearby. With a handshake and a smile, Hickenlooper sat and did what he always does when selling - he listened.
Hoffman talked about backing losing candidates in the past and how excited she was to have finally backed a winner in Barack Obama. She was organizing a grassroots money-raising campaign for Obama in Kansas City.
Hickenlooper saw his opening and tried to feel her out. Within moments, it was clear she'd be a connector for him in Aspen. He gave her a card.
"I know some people that might want to give," she said. "I'm going to talk to them and I'll get in contact with him as soon as I know anything."
Above them, Funkhouser was waiting his turn.
The 6-foot-8 mayor dwarfed the 6-foot-1 Hickenlooper and the two settled into a boardroom where Funkhouser picked his brain about getting a mass transit system passed.
"People invest because you convince them that there is a message in Denver that is valuable to the country," Hickenlooper said. "That there's a lot of what we're doing in Denver has relevance in other cities."
Not quite a celebrity
When Hickenlooper arrived at the brick building of JE Dunn Construction, the receptionist summoned him forward.
"John Hickenlooper to see Terry Dunn," the mayor said.
"That last name is a mouthful," Kathy Roark said - evidence that, despite his travels and being named one of Time magazine's top big-city mayor's, the man from Denver is not quite a celebrity.
He just laughed it off.
"It's Dutch for hedgehopper," he explained.
The two men met inside a small room with burnt-orange leather chairs. Dunn spoke deliberately, each word seemingly sinking under the weight of the baritone in which it was delivered.
Dunn is a Republican.
"But I like NPR, and I don't have time for conservative talk radio," he said.
Hickenlooper and Dunn talked about political extremes and the mayor made complimentary comments about Dunn's construction work in Denver - namely some resident towers near the Convention Center.
It was Dunn, however, who gave Hickenlooper his opening.
"How can I help you on your Democratic National Convention?" Dunn asked. "How much are you trying to raise?"
The mayor said he and the host committee thought they'd need $46 million and were behind in reaching that mark.
Hickenlooper made his pitch.
"Conventions shouldn't be just held on the coasts," he said.
"I agree," Dunn said. "It's a chance to showcase a region."
The two talked about the regional network needed between Kansas City and Denver.
Dunn then said the magic words. "We'll try and do something," he said.
Afterward, Hickenlooper said he felt like he connected with Dunn but wasn't sure how much money the firm might part with. He had tried to lure Dunn by saying some firms had given $1 million, "But I saw his body tense up at that."
Hickenlooper thought Dunn could be thinking $50,000 or $100,000.
Creative routes
It's casual day at HOK - a firm that specializes in designing sports stadiums and arenas - and Hickenlooper stood at the front desk, where a receptionist sat in front of a big screen with the words, "Welcome John Hickenlooper."
But Hickenlooper didn't notice. He was staring at his Blackberry. Silent. The news that NBC reporter Tim Russert had died seemed to hit him hard.
"He was only 58," Hickenlooper said. "I got to sit next to him when he was in Denver, and it was such a thrill."
But the fundraising schedule didn't give him time to reflect. He met with Robert White, director of marketing and Richard Martin, a senior principal with the firm. The mayor said HOK wasn't a typical business to dole out donations, but because of the economy, it was being creative in who it talked to.
"The economy is - all of the normal funders for these conventions, the big investment banks and the giant insurance companies are kind of upside down and are struggling with these financial issues," Hickenlooper said. "So you have to go to more unusual types of donors and again, seek them out not based on what they're going to get in terms of access to Barack Obama and U.S. senators, but what Denver offers them."
The HOK execs said they'd have to take it to the board, but Martin thought in-kind donations - of which $9.7 million must be raised by Monday - was possible.
When the meeting was over, the mayor headed back to the hotel to check out and grab a flight. And when he got to the airport and found out his flight had been delayed two hours, he realized he would miss one more important meeting.
"So now, even best case, my son will be sleeping by the time I get home," he typed from the airport in an e-mail. "So little justice."
And so little time.
Hickenlooper's pace in Kansas City
THURSDAY
6:11 p.m.
Lands at Kansas City International Airport. Greeted by Tyler Nottberg, chairman and CEO of U.S. Engineering.
7 p.m.
Sitting in The Capital Grille with potential donors or people who can connect him to donors.
8:40 p.m.
Dinner. Has salmon. Everyone else - steak.
9:20 p.m.
Bill picked up by Nottberg. Everyone leaves into a thunderstorm.
9:50 p.m.
Arrives at Westin Hotel
12 a.m.
Goes to bed
FRIDAY
6:15 a.m.
Wakes up.
7:30 a.m.
Private breakfast with Civic Council of Greater Kansas City - a group of business executives and potential donors. Gives brief speech and participates in a short question-and-answer session.
9 a.m.
Breakfast meeting at The Classic Cup with David Warm, executive director of the Mid-America Regional Council.
10 a.m.
Meeting with Sharon Hoffman, who lives in Kansas City and has a place in Aspen.
10:50 a.m.
Meeting with Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser.
11:30 a.m
Meet-and-greet at the 12th Annual Regional Assembly and Regional Leadership Awards, sponsored by the Mid-America Regional Council.
12:45 p.m.
Gives keynote address to a crowd of about 500.
1:24 p.m.
Speech ends.
2:02 p.m.
Meeting with potential donor, Terrence Dunn, head of JE Dunn Construction.
2:35 p.m.
Meeting ends.
2:45 p.m.
Meeting with HOK, a stadium architectural firm.
3:25 p.m.
Meeting ends.
3:40 p.m.
Checks out of hotel
5:32 p.m.
Flight back to Denver is delayed two hours.
7:46 p.m.
Flight departs Kansas City.
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June 14, 2008
8:18 a.m.
Suggest removal
vudumom writes:
I'm wondering where all the Democratic money is? They should be paying for their own party. Where are the Democratic donors who are supposed to support this convention? The mayor also said the taxpayers of Denver would not have to foot the bill, but what is it costing the taxpayers for him to fly around and beg for money? How much time is being wasted on this convention by the Mayor who has a whole city to run? The taxpayers are paying for this convention.
June 14, 2008
10:06 a.m.
Suggest removal
prk166 writes:
Exactly, why is Hink running around raising money for this? Doesn't Denver have issues for him to deal with as mayor?
June 14, 2008
10:22 a.m.
Suggest removal
dilligaf writes:
Yea like Bush flying around in Air Force One doing fund raisers for Republicans. How much does that cost us with the price of gas? You two are a joke!!!!
June 14, 2008
10:27 a.m.
Suggest removal
jacka writes:
Call Barack, he seems to have $30-40 million coming in each month.
Hopefully that saves you the travel time and the DNC the travel budget.
June 14, 2008
11:10 a.m.
Suggest removal
Vector049 writes:
Tax the new age dears in Wash Park and Park Hill to pay for this DNC nonsense. But first, repair Denver's streets. They are a mess.
June 14, 2008
3:24 p.m.
Suggest removal
LOUIE writes:
Not a real fan of the Hinkenlooper, but the boy can sell. It's a tough order, he's extremely capable.
June 14, 2008
6:27 p.m.
Suggest removal
Jim writes:
Colorado, the only state ever to turn down Winter Olympics after a winning bid. 1972
The '72 Colorado Winter Olympics was lost on an anti taxpayer funding ballot. The DNC is a business boon. Let UAL, Hotels, Hertz, Larimar, LoDo, prostitutes, cab companies, Tee shirt shops foot the bill.
The convention rewards delegates and gives protesters their 15 minutes. Not on my dime.
June 14, 2008
9:03 p.m.
Suggest removal
ManginoTorreta writes:
Anybody else notice the irony of a Democrat having to turn to Republicans to procure funding for the party's national convention?
June 15, 2008
7:32 a.m.
Suggest removal
cableboy764 writes:
Um, Isn't he supposed to be running our city? The amounts of money being spent on these 2 year long campaigns are ridiculous. It would have been nice to spend that money paying off our national debt so we wouldn't have to sell off landmark buildings to Dubai. Oh well, it's only money right.
June 15, 2008
10:41 a.m.
Suggest removal
Scott writes:
So where is Soros and the other megabuck lib freaks? Why aren't they ponying up the greenbacks needed to support their gathering of fellow Marxists libs?
Scott
June 15, 2008
11:24 a.m.
Suggest removal
dilligaf writes:
cableboy764
That is what he is doing he is raising money to hold a convention that will bring millions in. But I bet if he didn't raise the money you and the other idiots would then be complaining about the tax payers footing the bill. Make up your mind which do you want.