Nutter Pushes Philly for Dem Convention
CBS Philly reports that Mayor Nutter has put Philadelphia in the running for the 2016 Democratic National Convention. But that apparently happened only after prodding from both City Council and Congressman Bob Brady, the city’s Democratic boss:
A group of officials who represent the Philadelphia area has been lobbying to get the convention here for several years, and sources say they began to fear that the mayor would let the deadline pass without responding, as happened in 2012.
Philadelphia city councilman Jim Kenney went so far as to introduce a resolution in City Council saying Council should accept Schultz’s invitation, “since the Administration does not plan to convey interest in recruiting this massive economic boost to Philadelphia.”
“It’s too big a deal not to pursue it,” he tells KYW Newsradio. “Twenty-sixteen is the worst year for citywide conventions, as far as hotel bookings. This would not solve that problem but it would plug a huge hole.”
Nutter spokesman Mark McDonald, tweeting as Kenney’s resolution was coming up for a vote, said the city would be replying to the DNC “shortly” with an expression of interest. That letter went out before noon, he tweeted later.
McDonald later said Kenney had not contacted Nutter or his office about the issue and was “manufacturing a tempest in a teapot” to get media attention.
And the Inquirer reports Brady is trying to stay diplomatic:
He said hosting the party would be “great for the city on every level.”
“If [Nutter] tells me that he’s 100 percent for it, then he’s 100 percent for it,” Brady said. “It’s his show. He’s the mayor. . . . I’ll give him the support he needs.”
