Dem Convention Team In Denver Again

The group that will decide the next location of the 2008 Democratic National Convention is back in the Mile High City today, determining the viability of Denver to host an event that could draw hundreds of thousands.

According the Rocky Mountain News, the main competition is Minneapolis-St. Paul. But, as it was reported in the  Confidential yesterday, Denver could be facing another hurdle in trying to land the convention gig.From the News article:

Willhite added that she’s heard that Denver, which hosted its only national political convention in 1908, is among the top two cities being eyed for the convention.

“I’m fairly certain from what I hear on the proverbial grapevine that (the other city is) Minneapolis-St. Paul,” she said.

Denver City Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth, the Denver committee’s president, also views the second site visit in a positive light.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to have them back in our town,” she said. “I think it shows the strength of our bid, because we’re better than a mile.”

The problem? Last May the Denver Area Labor Federation (DALF) brought up concerns about the city’s lack of unionized hotels to coddle convention goers, pointing out that a unionization effort was taking place at the Hyatt Regency near the Convention Center, and that political leaders should voice their support for the organizing.

The response  was not optimistic:

Several city and tourism leaders voiced concern that efforts to unionize the 1,100-room hotel were becoming too politicized.

“In terms of them using this as a vehicle to unionize the Hyatt, we don’t feel that’s appropriate,” said Denver City Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth, who is also a co-chairwoman of the host committee. “They need to do that on their own.”

Erin Rosa was born in Spain and raised in Colorado Springs. She is a freelance writer currently living in Denver. Rosa's work has been featured in a variety of news outlets including the Huffington Post, Democracy Now!, and the Rocky Mountain Chronicle, an alternative-weekly in Northern Colorado where she worked as a columnist covering the state legislature. Rosa has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for her reporting on lobbying and woman's health issues. She was also tapped with a rare honorable mention award by the Newspaper Guild-CWA's David S. Barr Award in 2008--only the second such honor conferred in its nine-year history--for her investigative series covering the federal government's Supermax prison in the state. Rosa covers the labor community, corrections, immigration and government transparency matters. She can be reached at erosa@www.coloradoindependent.com.