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Boston DNC Convention 2004 –
Anatomy of an inevitable taxpayer mugging
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Introduction
Citizens'
inconvenience and business
loss will be only the beginning of this partisan political
boondoggle, the Democratic National Committee's 2004 convention.
Direct costs of outright taxpayer subsidies, indirect
costs imposed by public
employee unions pressure, and implied or perhaps explicit quid pro quo
benefits to corporate large donors are just as inevitable as "cost
overruns" were to the Big Dig -- as we predicted back in the
mid-80s.
This is, after all, Massachusetts. The DNC couldn't
have picked a better sucker.
In the end, Democrat organizers will turn to the state
for an expensive taxpayer bail-out. In this state dominated by Democrats,
so many with presidential aspirations (JFK in '60, Ted Kennedy '80,
Dukakis and his disastrous "Massachusetts Miracle" in '88, Paul
Tsongas in '92, and now John Kerry in '04), inevitably it's like a Boston
Celtics slam-dunk right there in the FleetCenter's hoop. When the time
comes -- despite "the worst fiscal crisis since the Great
Depression" -- we Massachusetts
taxpayers will bankroll an 11th-hour bail-out of the Democrat's
national convention.
That's a FleetCenter event you can bet on.
Here's an historical time-line, so that later there can
be no excuses but lame excuses.
And we will be here to again announce "we told you
so"!
Chip Ford – December 11, 2002
Boston magazine editor Jon Marcus checked in on Friday - after we threw cold water on the DNC's projected $154 million in economic impact - to remind folks of a BoMag piece from July 2003 by one-time Herald scribe Phil Primack.
"If reporters put down their pompoms long enough to pick up their calculators, they might find the claims of an economic bonanza suspect," the prescient Primack wrote last summer. "Judging from past national political conventions in other cities, we may ultimately look back on the summer of 2004 and wonder what the hell we were thinking." ...
Of course, things have only gotten worse since Primack forecast the future. Sail Boston 2004 was relocated at an estimated loss of $85 million in spending. And the long-feared scenario of I-93 and North Station being forced to close has come to fruition.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Sunday, April 4, 2004
I'm not the only one!
By Cosmo Macero Jr.
I'm not the only one!
Turns out I'm not the only nattering nabob of negativity in the press when it comes to the Democratic National Convention.
Boston magazine editor Jon Marcus checked in on Friday - after we threw cold water on the DNC's projected $154 million in economic impact - to remind folks of a BoMag piece from July 2003 by one-time Herald scribe Phil Primack.
"If reporters put down their pompoms long enough to pick up their calculators, they might find the claims of an economic bonanza suspect," the prescient Primack wrote last summer. "Judging from past national political conventions in other cities, we may ultimately look back on the summer of 2004 and wonder what the hell we were thinking."
Primack went on to correctly note huge losses in visitor spending from the convention-forced relocation of the U.S. Olympic Gymnastic Trials, while bemoaning what at the time was a mere $20 million in cash and in-kind donations from corporate Boston. That figure has since grown to nearly $40 million!
Of course, things have only gotten worse since Primack forecast the future. Sail Boston 2004 was relocated at an estimated loss of $85 million in spending. And the long-feared scenario of I-93 and North Station being forced to close has come to fruition.
Other than that, it's going to be great!
Somerville's scared
The looming Interstate 93 traffic fiasco expected during the July 26-29 Democratic National Convention has Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone ringing his own alarm bells.
"State officials say they are working with Boston to avoid problems," Curtatone said on Friday. "I've got news for them: You can't get to Boston from the north without going through Somerville or Cambridge."
Indeed, as the mayor points out, Somerville is closer to the FleetCenter than many of Boston's own neighborhoods are.
Daily traffic on the McGrath and O'Brien Highway is approximately 65,000 vehicles. Curtatone fears the number will double when I-93 is closed during the convention. And he figures businesses in Somerville will also suffer because of tie-ups.
The Somerville mayor wrote Gov. Mitt Romney [related, bio] on Friday to request a meeting on the proposed DNC traffic plan. Curtatone's biggest concern: Evacuation routes.
"Somerville provides many of the most direct routes out of Boston in such an event," he wrote. "It is difficult to see how such an evacuation would work if the streets were already packed with detoured I-93 traffic."
Pat and Walter McKay of Wayland have a simple question: Why do we need a political convention?
"What are we doing this for?" asked Walter yesterday. "Have you figured it out yet?"
Conventions used to be for picking candidates. Not anymore. John Kerry's supposed to pick a running mate in June, after which he and his would-be vice president can pose for yet another Kerry photo in his floor-to-ceiling, wood-paneled Louisburg Square townhouse with a model schooner bigger than most people's kitchens....
Here's how it looks: Like everybody's just trying to placate the neighborhoods before The Passion of the Fleet Center Mother-of-All-Traffic-Jams begins. Back to Pat and Walter McKay from Wayland. "I'm still not sure," said Walter, "what the advantage of having the convention here is." Except, once again, for the dancing girls and shrimp at the Sheraton, which he won't be sampling, either.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Tuesday, April 6, 2004
Dem confab gives Bostonians millions of reasons to whine
By Margery Eagan
Pat and Walter McKay of Wayland have a simple question: Why do we need a political convention?
"What are we doing this for?" asked Walter yesterday. "Have you figured it out yet?"
Conventions used to be for picking candidates. Not anymore. John Kerry's supposed to pick a running mate in June, after which he and his would-be vice president can pose for yet another Kerry photo in his floor-to-ceiling, wood-paneled Louisburg Square townhouse with a model schooner bigger than most people's kitchens.
But since "the party of the people," says Walter, already has its man-of-the-people, why is "the party of the people" shutting down the people's roads, subways, train station and "Sail Boston," causing "the people such terrible inconvenience," costing the city money and making us all whine in a uniquely Boston way?
Why, why, why?
Because "it's a great party." So said the mayor of Boston yesterday, though that's not all he said.
Tom Menino said delegates have to vote. Those are the rules. That we want to hear the candidate's story. (We do?) Then he did concede, when asked, rolling his eyes, the "great party" part.
But yesterday Menino brought to Dudley Square, Roxbury, "an august group," as group member Bill Russell, ex-Celtic superstar, put it, to offer another justification for the convention: showcasing the neighborhoods.
"Celebrate Boston 2004" will be a monthlong celebration of community intended to get neighborhoods involved in the convention downtown and fill the locals with civic pride, etc.
There'll be "delegation parties in the neighborhoods," Menino said. "No one has ever done that." Parties in Roxbury, West Roxbury, Brighton, in Hyde Park at the library, hard by "Family Dollar" discount store and Papa Gino's.
"But how do we get delegates to leave dancing girls and shrimp at the Sheraton for the library at Hyde Park," asked one cynical wag. "Can you force them? Cuff 'em? Make them draw lots?
You know some of Boston's biggest stars have volunteered as honorary co-chairs of Celebrate Boston 2004. Millionaire Chris Gabrieli introduced them yesterday. (He, by the way, is the latest convention point man, Kerry's Louisburg Square neighbor, a former candidate both for Congress and lieutenant governor, but even more famous as employer of nanny Maria Grasso, who won $197 million in the lottery).
Financial wizard Peter Lynch went on about how locals and delegates could learn fascinating Boston facts: how we have the first pubic library, for example, or the first New Years' Eve First Night.
Russell said Boston has a chance to show off its progressive side. Scientist and entrepreneur Walter Gilbert was glowing with Boston pride.
But you couldn't help thinking: OK, these are geniuses. Still, do they really believe this stuff? Is their civic optimism why they're there and I'm here? Or, as pops conductor Keith Lockart put it, joking, I think, "you never say no to the mayor unless it's (about) further guest conducting opportunities."
Here's how it looks: Like everybody's just trying to placate the neighborhoods before The Passion of the Fleet Center Mother-of-All-Traffic-Jams begins. Back to Pat and Walter McKay from Wayland. "I'm still not sure," said Walter, "what the advantage of having the convention here is." Except, once again, for the dancing girls and shrimp at the Sheraton, which he won't be sampling, either.
A strong majority of Greater Boston residents believe that hosting the Democratic National Convention will be worth the hassles, a sentiment fueled by expectations that the convention will boost Boston's image around the country and trigger increased economic activity, a Boston Globe poll indicates.
But nearly two-thirds of those polled opposed the use of city or state tax dollars to cover convention costs, even as they become increasingly convinced that organizers will fail in their goal of raising all the cash they need from the private sector....
Convention organizers maintain that they'll be able to raise enough money to finance the convention's $64.5 million budget without leaning on city or state taxpayers. But only 31 percent of respondents said they believe that will happen, with 50 percent saying they expect the city or the state "will wind up having to contribute funds to cover the cost."
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Wednesday, April 7, 2004
Poll sees support strong for convention
But most oppose use of public funds
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff
A strong majority of Greater Boston residents believe that hosting the Democratic National Convention will be worth the hassles, a sentiment fueled by expectations that the convention will boost Boston's image around the country and trigger increased economic activity, a Boston Globe poll indicates.
But nearly two-thirds of those polled opposed the use of city or state tax dollars to cover convention costs, even as they become increasingly convinced that organizers will fail in their goal of raising all the cash they need from the private sector.
In addition, while 56 percent opposed the decision to shut down North Station and Interstate 93 during the convention, three-fourths of commuters who use either the commuter rail hub or I-93 to get to work said they plan to travel into Boston while the convention is in town, despite the closings. Fifty-nine percent of commuters polled said they will find alternative routes during the convention, which will be held July 26-29 at the FleetCenter.
The poll suggests that area residents are well aware of some of the obstacles and headaches they will have to endure when the Democrats converge to nominate their presidential candidate. But residents seem to have decided that the short- and long-term benefits of Boston's hosting its first national political convention make the costs worthwhile.
"They're willing to put up with it, because they think it will be worth it, both economically and in terms of Boston's image," said Gerry Chervinsky, president of KRC Communications Research of Newton, which conducted the poll.
The poll surveyed 400 adults who live in cities and towns inside or along the Route 128 corridor, and was taken by phone last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Convention planners have endured negative press attention in recent weeks, with stalled fund-raising, labor unrest that threatens to disrupt the event, and commuting nightmares predicted with the announced closings of I-93 and North Station.
But the poll indicated that Greater Boston residents still view the convention in a positive light. Fifty-seven percent of those polled agreed that "it's worth it to put up with the inconvenience caused by holding the convention here," and 58 percent said they believe city and Democratic officials when they say the convention will benefit the area's economy.
Support for the convention is far stronger among registered Democrats and independents; 54 percent of registered Republicans polled said the convention won't be worth the inconvenience.
Laura Brink, who commutes from Watertown to Beverly for her job as associate director of admissions at Endicott College, said her commute will be severely delayed by the planned closing of I-93 during the evenings of the convention. But she said that while she disagrees with the decision to shut down the interstate, the convention will be great for the city.
"If I'm stuck in a traffic jam, I'm certainly going to be saying, 'That damn convention,'" said Brink, 32. "But it's a mistake for people to think this is a bad thing for this to come into town. I'm really excited about it. I hope there's some way I can participate or get involved or attend."
The poll found significant anxiety about the possibility of a terrorist attack on Boston during the convention, with 56 percent of those surveyed saying they were either very or somewhat concerned about that prospect. A statewide Globe poll taken in January 2002, just a few months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, found that 82 percent of residents were very or somewhat concerned about a terrorist attack anywhere in the country.
Despite terrorism concerns, only 26 percent of those polled said they agreed with the decision to shut down North Station and I-93, moves that were ordered by the US Secret Service because of security concerns.
To poll respondent Robert Hassett of Hyde Park, the fact that access to Boston has to be limited speaks to why the convention isn't going to be worth it for Boston-area residents.
"If they're closing the expressway and the surrounding area, where people can't get in, now they're shutting out the Boston [area] people who are here all the time," said Hassett, 60, an employee of the state Division of Urban Parks and Recreation. "They're saying just take vacation, but what if they can't get the time off?"
Hassett said he'd prefer to see the convention at the new convention center in South Boston, instead of the FleetCenter, a concept that a plurality of those polled, 41 percent to 35 percent, supported. Governor Mitt Romney floated that possibility publicly last month, but his idea was quickly rejected as impractical by Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Democratic Party officials. Registered Democrats expressed a slight preference for the FleetCenter, with 46 percent supporting it as a convention venue and 36 percent backing the new convention center.
Judith Doherty, a 47-year-old product specialist for Toshiba, said it is obvious to her that the Democrats want the convention at the FleetCenter primarily so they can enjoy the restaurants of downtown Boston and the North End.
But Doherty, who doesn't commute to the city, said she feels that, given the resources that have already been pumped into the convention, having the event at the FleetCenter is worth it, because there's no turning back.
"We've invested all this kind of money, but what are we going to say, 'Don't come'?" said Doherty, who lives in Beverly.
Convention organizers maintain that they'll be able to raise enough money to finance the convention's $64.5 million budget without leaning on city or state taxpayers. But only 31 percent of respondents said they believe that will happen, with 50 percent saying they expect the city or the state "will wind up having to contribute funds to cover the cost."
"Maybe it's my cynicism, but I can't imagine that the tax base isn't going to get hit by it," said Marty Amberg, 52, a consultant who lives in Salem. "But so be it. You pay taxes, and you might as well pay taxes for something that's worthwhile for your city."
Julie Burns -- executive director of Boston 2004, the convention host committee -- told reporters yesterday that area residents largely see the convention as good for the region. She said the committee has signed up 10,600 volunteers, well over the 8,000 it promised.
Indeed, 16 percent of those polled said they plan to participate in a convention-related event or attend the convention. The poll was taken before the host committee announced its "Celebrate Boston 2004" campaign, which will feature a month-long series of convention-related events.
Because the convention itself will involve so few area residents directly, the 16 percent figure suggests that many residents aren't quite sure what the event entails, according to Chervinsky.
"There is obviously a percentage that think this is a spectator sport of some kind," he said.
Boston's Democratic National Convention host committee has raised only $1 million since the beginning of March and is still $6.5 million shy of its $39.5 million fund-raising target, officials said yesterday.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino and officials at the Boston 2004 host committee said they remain confident they will meet their fiscal goals well before the convention. But it was a disappointing showing in a month that was expected to be especially fruitful.
Organizers had predicted that once Senator John Kerry became the presumptive nominee, donations would pour in.
With the convention less than four months away, and with security and transportation costs expected to rise, pressure on fundraisers is mounting. Menino has pledged not to funnel city funds to the convention, but said yesterday that if costs balloon or if the host committee can't raise enough in private donations, he may be forced to.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Wednesday, April 7, 2004
Fund-raising lags, but organizers confident of reaching goal
By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff
Boston's Democratic National Convention host committee has raised only $1 million since the beginning of March and is still $6.5 million shy of its $39.5 million fund-raising target, officials said yesterday.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino and officials at the Boston 2004 host committee said they remain confident they will meet their fiscal goals well before the convention. But it was a disappointing showing in a month that was expected to be especially fruitful.
Organizers had predicted that once Senator John Kerry became the presumptive nominee, donations would pour in.
With the convention less than four months away, and with security and transportation costs expected to rise, pressure on fundraisers is mounting. Menino has pledged not to funnel city funds to the convention, but said yesterday that if costs balloon or if the host committee can't raise enough in private donations, he may be forced to.
"I'll never say never, but we'll continue to work hard," Menino said. "Senator [Edward M.] Kennedy, myself, and the candidate will continue to raise money as we move forward. Excitement is building. People are starting to step forward."
City Councilor Maureen Feeney, chairwoman of a committee overseeing the convention, said organizers should be able to raise enough money. But with 31 unions still working without contracts and the city budget tight, she said city officials should be reluctant to use city funds. "We need to get people to embrace this, to recognize it as a wonderful opportunity for everyone," she said. "We want to get people as excited about this as they are about sports in this town."
Organizers said they have $33 million in cash and in-kind donations. The total cost of the convention is projected to be $64.5 million, with the federal government picking up $25 million for security and transportation costs.
In contrast to Boston, the committee hosting the Republicans in New York City has already raised the private donations it was seeking for its Aug. 30 convention, more than $60 million, according to Paul Elliott, spokesman for the New York City host committee.
"New York is a different climate, a different city," Menino said. "Their mayor gave $5 million. I'll write a check for $5."
But Boston is closer to its goal than organizers of the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles were at the same time in 2000, said Menino and the organizers.
"We're very pleased with what the host committee, the mayor's office, and Senator Kennedy have accomplished with their fund-raising so far," said Lina Garcia, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Convention Committee.
According to Boston 2004's website, two new "silver benefactors" have come forward pledging $250,000 to $500,000. They are both pharmaceutical companies: Pfizer Inc. and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. Menino has recently proposed a pilot program to import prescription drugs from Canada, which US pharmacuetical companies have opposed.
"There is no significance, no rhyme or reason," said Boston 2004 spokeswoman Karen Grant. "These are all folks we've been working with, and they want to support this."
Political observers predicted that convention organizers will raise enough money to cover the convention costs, particularly if the race between Kerry and President Bush remains competitive.
"I can't believe they won't raise the money they need," said Dan Glickman, director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "Kerry is a credible candidate and the polls are close. Knowing that many people in the private sector want to be part of the action, I think they'll find the resources."
Said Elaine Kamarck, another Kennedy School faculty member and a longtime Democratic activist: "My impression is that the Democratic party is always in a last-minute rush for convention money and then manages to pull it together. Nothing I've heard sounds different from things I've heard for the last five conventions.
"The Republicans have much more money and are more orderly about their money," she said. "They always have money, even when they have great big losers. They're rich people."
Globe correspondent Kevin Joy contributed to this report.
The Telegram & Gazette
Friday, April 9, 2004
A Telegram & Gazette editorial
Just a Thought
Bostonians are glad the Democratic National Convention is coming to town in July, a new poll shows, but they strongly oppose use of state and local taxes to cover the deficit of the $65 million affair. The pollsters didn’t ask us, but that goes double for taxpayers here in the vast hinterland beyond the Route 128 beltway.
Maybe the "take a vacation" idea isn't so bad after all when it comes to the Democratic National Convention.
Not so bad for Les Marino, at least.
The Modern Continental Construction czar could be in line for a $1 million holiday if some convention planners get their way....
Marino's company is handling two major Big Dig contracts that in part occupy the "hard security zone" near the FleetCenter....
Convention planners, according to Big Dig sources, ideally want work shut down on those two projects during the entire month of July.
At an estimated cost of $200,000 to $250,000 per week, that would mean up to $1 million worth of work put on ice in the heart of the construction season.
But it doesn't mean Marino won't collect.
On the contrary, Modern Continental would essentially be paid for not working while Boston does its thing for democracy.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Monday, April 12, 2004
Gathering may mean Big Break
By Cosmo Macero Jr.
Maybe the "take a vacation" idea isn't so bad after all when it comes to the Democratic National Convention.
Not so bad for Les Marino, at least.
The Modern Continental Construction czar could be in line for a $1 million holiday if some convention planners get their way.
Will the good fortune trickle down to his workers on the ground?
Only time will tell.
Marino's company is handling two major Big Dig contracts that in part occupy the "hard security zone" near the FleetCenter.
One job is surface restoration work just south of the Bulfinch Triangle, under contract 17-A6. The other is construction work west of Nashua Street around the Leverett Circle area and the Leverett Connector - contract 19-E6.
Convention planners, according to Big Dig sources, ideally want work shut down on those two projects during the entire month of July.
At an estimated cost of $200,000 to $250,000 per week, that would mean up to $1 million worth of work put on ice in the heart of the construction season.
But it doesn't mean Marino won't collect.
On the contrary, Modern Continental would essentially be paid for not working while Boston does its thing for democracy.
"It's called third-party impact," says Big Dig spokesman Sean O'Neill. "That means when an outside party impacts an active (construction) zone, the contractor doesn't take a money hit. They get a time extension on the work."
In a perfect world, Modern's construction crews would be allowed to kick back for a month - in honor of the nominee, John Kerry.
But Marino - his company's financial troubles notwithstanding - didn't climb to the top of the Big Dig contractor heap by wasting opportunities.
Figure Modern Continental could redeploy at least some of its equipment - and probably most of the manpower - to other job sites, while still collecting on the Big Dig contracts.
In any case, Big Dig sources say the details have yet to be worked out between project officials, City Hall, security personnel and convention planners.
Some middle ground could still be reached.
And O'Neill says it's possible most of the work inside the hard security zone will be completed before July. The only apparent certainty is that a staging area for Modern Continental equipment along North Washington Street must be modified for security reasons.
Indeed, with so much focus on making Boston as hospitable as possible for 35,000 convention-related visitors, I was rather surprised to learn that major Big Dig work outside the hard zone is scheduled to continue right through convention week. And even during the July 26-29 DNC itself.
J.F. White Construction, as of Friday, was still scheduled to be working on the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge on those days. And contractor Richie McCourt, according to O'Neill from the Big Dig, will be overseeing finishing work inside the Dewey Square Tunnel.
"We're giving the DNC a limited schedule of work. We're not shutting down," O'Neill says. "I think (it) will without question emphasize how significant an improvement the Big Dig has made to both the infrastructure and surface of Boston. And to show Americans working during any (political) convention is not a bad thing."
It's the Democrats, after all.
The party of labor.
What better way to dress up Boston's grand new bridge than with some bona fide hardhats on the job?
Just tell the delegates not to wave at the Modern Continental trucks.
Chances are, Les Marino's crew will be honoring the nominee somewhere off site.
‘Financial
bonanza’ balloon is popped
Thousands of Boston commuters delayed by subway and road closings for the Democratic National Convention will cost area businesses $23.8 million in lost productivity and push the economic impact of the event into the red, according to a new study by a local think tank.
The convention, scheduled for the week of July 25, was hailed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino's office as a boon to Boston, reaping millions of dollars in economic gains. But the Beacon Hill Institute determined that transportation and other costs will outweigh the benefits of 35,000 convention delegates and visitors who will converge on Boston's hotels, restaurants, and attractions....
"It now seems clear the convention is going to represent a net loss to the Boston economy rather than a net gain," said David Tuerck, the executive director of The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University, which initially estimated a $122 million gain, prior to learning of transportation delays....
Fred Carstensen, the director of the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis at the University of Connecticut, said public officials often overstate an event's economic benefits. For example, he said the mayor's study estimated 35,000 convention guests would spend about $353 per day, or $61.6 million total, during their Boston stay. That is "probably twice" the true number, he said. "The mayor's office should never be providing estimates of its own initiatives because they're always going to be painted in rosy terms."
Asked about the Beacon Hill study, he said its estimates of delegate and visitor spending about $48.5 million may be $20 million too high. But he said its estimates of lost activity seem "more accurate." "You always have to include negatives" in a complete economic impact study, he said.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Convention seen yielding a net loss
Study says business productivity will take a $23.8 million hit
BY Kimberly Blanton, Globe Staff
Thousands of Boston commuters delayed by subway and road closings for the Democratic National Convention will cost area businesses $23.8 million in lost productivity and push the economic impact of the event into the red, according to a new study by a local think tank.
The convention, scheduled for the week of July 25, was hailed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino's office as a boon to Boston, reaping millions of dollars in economic gains. But the Beacon Hill Institute determined that transportation and other costs will outweigh the benefits of 35,000 convention delegates and visitors who will converge on Boston's hotels, restaurants, and attractions.
Major portals into the city the North Station commuter rail and subway stop and the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge will be closed for all or part of the convention for security reasons. And Sail Boston and the US Olympic gymnastics trials, two major summer events slated for Boston, were moved elsewhere due to logistical problems posed by the convention, planners said. Taking into account these losses, totaling $134.4 million, Boston's economy will lose $12.8 million by staging the convention, an updated study by the institute said.
"It now seems clear the convention is going to represent a net loss to the Boston economy rather than a net gain," said David Tuerck, the executive director of The Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University, which initially estimated a $122 million gain, prior to learning of transportation delays.
Downtown businesses have rallied around the Boston 2004 convention. Behind the scenes, they are bracing for severe disruptions to employees. The Beacon Hill Institute estimates almost 149,000 commuters, or half of all the people who pass through the Zakim bridge of North Station each day, will be delayed one hour or more. The bridge, located feet from the FleetCenter, where the convention will be held, will close for four nights, July 26 through 29; North Station will also shut down completely, starting July 23, officials said.
Eaton Vance Co., which manages $85 billion in mutual funds and other investments, is preparing to help one-quarter of its 450 employees who live north of the city, including 44 who commute via North Station. Jeff Beale, chief administrative officer, said he expects many to take vacations the last weekend in July to avoid convention-related traffic jams. The firm, located on State Street, also will allow some to work at home or in a Bedford satellite office. But for Eaton Vance employees whose jobs require they come into Boston, he said, "Given the magnitude and size of what's going to happen, people will probably commute a little longer." He called the dislocations "very manageable."
Economists view economic impact studies with skepticism. It is difficult to assign accurate values to costs and benefits, and some consequences of an event are impossible to predict at all. One example is the risk an event that leaves town to avoid a convention might never return. Conversely, studies of the convention's impact fail to estimate benefits from free publicity from global television and newspaper coverage.
Massachusetts government "probably doesn't spend $10 million a year promoting" tourism, and the convention will generate "maybe 10 or 50 times that," said Jack Connors, co-chairman of Boston 2004, the convention host committee. "We're having the convention," said Connors, cofounder of a Boston ad agency, and naysayers should "lighten up and enjoy it."
Fred Carstensen, the director of the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis at the University of Connecticut, said public officials often overstate an event's economic benefits. For example, he said the mayor's study estimated 35,000 convention guests would spend about $353 per day, or $61.6 million total, during their Boston stay. That is "probably twice" the true number, he said. "The mayor's office should never be providing estimates of its own initiatives because they're always going to be painted in rosy terms."
Asked about the Beacon Hill study, he said its estimates of delegate and visitor spending about $48.5 million may be $20 million too high. But he said its estimates of lost activity seem "more accurate." "You always have to include negatives" in a complete economic impact study, he said.
Boston's revenue manager, Chris Giuliani, disputed the Beacon Hill Institute's finding that the convention will be a negative for the city's economy. Menino's report, released April 1, estimated a $154.2 million gain from its economic spillover as convention spending is cycled through the area.
Giuliani said an $85 million estimate for the loss of Sail Boston to Rhode Island was based on old information and was overstated, because the 2004 event was scaled down from prior years due to security concerns. He also questioned the impact from lost commute time.
"I'm not sure an employer is going to ask less of an employee because they had to spend an extra half-hour commuting," Giuliani said. The convention "will showcase what we already know about Boston and how wonderful it is."
Bob Colarossi, president of USA Gymnastics, said it was impossible to stage gymnastic trials in late June in Boston, because it would take weeks to load equipment into the FleetCenter for the convention, which is a month after the trials. USA Gymnastics was held in Boston for the 1996 and 2000 Olympics but was moved to Anaheim, Calif., this year.
"It just didn't work out this time," Colarossi said. Asked if the trials would return to Boston, he added, his organization has already held "preliminary conversations" with the city.
Dusty Rhodes, who heads Conventures, the organizer of Sail Boston, confirmed the 2004 event was "locked and loaded and ready to go" in Boston and would have drawn more than 1 million people. By November 2003, however, it was clear the city's resources "were really being all focused on doing a great job with the Democratic National Convention."
See: Convention bust may reach $50m
If there is one thing that Boston's politicians, journalists, and corporate eminentos seem to know for a fact, it is that the Democratic National Convention will more than pay for itself by showering the city's economy with $150 million in new economic activity....
There's just one thing wrong with this lucrative convention dividend. It's pie in the sky. According to an analysis released this week by the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University, the convention's net impact on Boston's economy won't be a gain of $150 million but a loss of $12.8 million....
None of this is meant as an argument against hosting political conventions. It's an argument against forcing taxpayers to subsidize political conventions and then telling them lies about what they're getting for their money.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Thursday, April 15, 2004
What the convention is worth
By Jeff Jacoby
If there is one thing that Boston's politicians, journalists, and corporate eminentos seem to know for a fact, it is that the Democratic National Convention will more than pay for itself by showering the city's economy with $150 million in new economic activity.
That claim has been made so often and by so many people that it has all but assumed the status of common knowledge. It appears in scores of news stories -- some of them dating back to long before Boston was awarded the 2004 convention ("City officials estimate landing the DNC convention ... would add more than $150 million to the local economy" -- Boston Herald, June 21, 1998). Mayor Thomas Menino has happily pointed out that $150 million will amount to a return of "three times [the city's] investment." The head of Greater Boston's visitors bureau hails the convention and its "impressive" $150 million economic impact as evidence of "Boston's status as one of the top destinations to visit in the United States." The $150 million payoff is cited at the official website of the Democratic National Convention, www.Dems2004.org. It is cited as well at the convention's
unofficial website, www.2004dnc.com.
There's just one thing wrong with this lucrative convention dividend. It's pie in the sky. According to an analysis released this week by the Beacon Hill Institute at Suffolk University, the convention's net impact on Boston's economy won't be a gain of $150 million but a loss of $12.8 million. Why the drastic difference? Because unlike the cheerleaders who keep chanting "$150 million! $150 million!" the economists at the Beacon Hill Institute live in the real world. And in the real world, huge public events like presidential nominating conventions do more than rain benefits on the cities that host them. They also impose heavy costs.
Consider Sail Boston 2004, the Tall Ships extravaganza that was expected to draw 500,000 visitors to the city's waterfront for six days in July. Sail Boston would have meant $85 million in direct spending on everything from T-shirts to charter boats to bar tabs. But the Tall Ships had to be canceled to make way for the Democratic convention, so that's $85 million the Boston economy will never see.
To that lost revenue, add the $15 million or so that vanished when Boston had to relinquish the US Olympic Gymnastics Trials, which were supposed to be held at the FleetCenter at the end of June. The Boston Celtics, it was reported last week, will probably have to cancel the Reebok Summer Pro League, a yearly tournament that draws thousands of basketball fans to the University of Massachusetts at Boston. Those fans all come with money to spend, but they won't be coming this year -- another economic hit you can chalk up to the Democratic convention.
Then there is the looming transportation nightmare that already has Boston commuters breaking out in hives. Interstate 93, the city's major north-south artery, is going to be shut down in both directions for all four nights of the convention. North Station, a major portal, will be closed to all commuter rail and subway service. Scores of thousands of commuters will find themselves stuck in the mother of all traffic jams or forced to take roundabout, time-consuming detours. Estimated loss: 775,000 work hours. According to the Beacon Hill Institute, that translates to almost $23.8 million in squandered economic productivity.
And those aren't the only losses the convention will generate. Thousands of people who work in or near Boston are planning to avoid the city altogether while the convention is in town. Businesses are announcing plans to shut their doors until the Democrats have gone. One Massachusetts politician, US Representative Michael Capuano, has actually encouraged local firms to "consider a snow week in July" -- in other words, pay employees not to show up. That too will be a cost of bringing the Democrats' fiesta to Boston.
It may not be possible to put a precise number to all of the convention's negative economic effects -- all the tourists who end up staying away, all the events that don't get scheduled, all the sales that don't get made, all the dollars that don't get spent. There may be no way to know -- at least not yet -- how many of the convention's expenses are going to come in way over budget. (The experience of the last Democratic convention is not encouraging: Los Angeles budgeted $8.3 million to host the 2000 convention. It ultimately spent $35 million.) But all of those costs are real -- real enough to turn a $150 million windfall into a nearly $13 million net loss.
None of this is meant as an argument against hosting political conventions. It's an argument against forcing taxpayers to subsidize political conventions and then telling them lies about what they're getting for their money. The Democratic National Convention may well be worth hosting for reasons of civic pride or history. Why not leave it at that and stop peddling the phony claim that we're going to make money on it, too?
See: Convention bust may reach $50m
As Boston plans to bring in hundreds of reinforcements for the Democratic National Convention, the Secret Service has reportedly raised concerns about the size of the city's police and fire departments.
Secret Service officials meeting with the city two weeks ago at Florian Hall in Dorchester said Boston has fewer resources than any other city where a major "national security event" has been held, a source told the Herald.
"They said Boston has the smallest police and fire department they've ever had to deal with in this kind of a venue," the source said.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Feds size up trouble with DNC safety
By Dave Wedge and Thomas Caywood
As Boston plans to bring in hundreds of reinforcements for the Democratic National Convention, the Secret Service has reportedly raised concerns about the size of the city's police and fire departments.
Secret Service officials meeting with the city two weeks ago at Florian Hall in Dorchester said Boston has fewer resources than any other city where a major "national security event" has been held, a source told the Herald.
"They said Boston has the smallest police and fire department they've ever had to deal with in this kind of a venue," the source said.
Boston police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole, however, has met several times with the Secret Service and says "at no time has anybody expressed concern about the number of personnel."
"We're not concerned at all with the number of officers available," O'Toole said yesterday.
She would not say how many cops would be on the streets for the DNC. But she acknowledged that regional tactical squads will be called in to help out, along with K9, motorcycle and mounted units. The department, like the state police and Boston Emergency Medical Services, has put a vacation blackout in effect for the week of the convention.
An internal Boston Police Department memo obtained by the Herald last year shows that department brass are planning for up to nine days of 12-hour shifts for every city cop. Additionally, the state police have agreed to dedicate nearly half of their 2,200 troopers daily for DNC security, department spokesman Sgt. Edward Principe said.
The past three DNCs were in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York - cities with police forces of 9,200, 13,500 and 36,000, respectively. Boston has 2,200 cops.
Miami police Chief John F. Timoney, who has two national political conventions under his belt, said the Boston DNC presents a special security challenge because the downtown location requires a huge law enforcement presence in a city with a relatively small force.
Timoney was Philadelphia's police commissioner during the 2000 Republican National Convention and first deputy commissioner of the New York Police Department during the 1992 DNC there.
"In New York, there's no problem to peel off 3,000, 4,000 or 5,000 police officers and dedicate them to the convention for the whole time," Timoney said. "Suffice to say Boston will need assistance from the outside."
Boston Secret Service spokesman Steve Ricciardi said he has "no worries" that the city will put enough cops on the street.
"Boston police are going to deal with it," Ricciardi said.
Mayor Thomas Menino accused "naysayers" of trying to give the convention a black eye.
"We're going to be prepared for this convention," Menino said.
According to Timoney, having so many agencies involved poses jurisdictional issues and makes for organizational "headaches."
"It's not something you can't overcome, but it just complicates matters," he said. "They are not major headaches, but who needs more headaches when you've got al-Qaeda."
Party planners who were given the nod to plan the delegation receptions were informed this week that the budget for said shindigs will be exactly $100 per person. That C-note has to stretch an awfully long way, they say: burgundy and bourbon for delegates in the mood for a party; substantial hors d'oeuvre; flowers, and lighting, and linens, and live bands.
Some party planners, used to more highfalutin affairs, said yesterday they are bowing out of the delegate party game.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Friday, April 23, 2004
Budget squeezes DNC's shindig
By Yvonne Abraham, Globe Staff
To the delegation from Des Moines and the contingent from Cincinnati: Forget the lobster tails and caviar.
The city's host committee hasn't got the cash to shower you with such extravagances when you come to town for the Democratic National Convention in July. Sure, you, like every other state delegation, will be feted at one of the 32 cocktail parties being held around town to welcome you and showcase Boston on Sunday, July 25. But there will be no blowouts.
Party planners who were given the nod to plan the delegation receptions were informed this week that the budget for said shindigs will be exactly $100 per person. That C-note has to stretch an awfully long way, they say: burgundy and bourbon for delegates in the mood for a party; substantial hors d'oeuvre; flowers, and lighting, and linens, and live bands.
Some party planners, used to more highfalutin affairs, said yesterday they are bowing out of the delegate party game.
"We were offered a couple [of parties],' said Ellen Burnett, president of Best of Boston event planners. "We just determined it was not in our best interests to do them. In general, that is not a figure that one normally applies to an elegant event in Boston."
Burnett and other planners said they would normally budget well over $100 per person for the kinds of parties the host committee is asking them to organize: two-hour receptions with open bars, plenty of finger food, flowers and entertainment. Particularly since some of those parties, held all over the city, including Franklin Park Zoo and the L Street Bath House, might require extras, like tents and portable bathrooms. Some planners submitted proposals well over the host committee's newly-disclosed limit, more than $200 per person in some cases.
"All civic pride notwithstanding, a tent rental company is not going to give me a $10,000 tent for $2,000," said Dusty Rhodes, head of Conventures, Inc. "We all want to live up to our civic pride, but even if we do an event pro bono, perhaps there should be a little bit more money to spend on the delegates."
The dozen or so planners given preliminary approval to produce the parties will not be working pro bono: their fees will be 15 percent of the events' total cost. With a deadline today to submit proposals that conform to the budget limits, some planners complained privately yesterday that the smaller parties, those for fewer than 100 guests for example, would hardly be worth their time. Some said those parties, with their budgetary constraints, would not be good for their images.
"This is my 25th year of business," Burnett said. "We're the largest event company in New England, and we have a certain reputation, a certain level of expertise, and a certain level of expectation from my clients."
But other planners -- and the host committee -- say $100 a head is plenty.
"I don't believe it's too little," said Julie Burns, executive director of Boston 2004. "The formula we used is an industry standard. Transportation and site rental costs are covered by the host committee, so they don't have to be built into event budgets. And these sites are so unique, they don't need a lot of enhancement or decoration."
Besides, she said, once planning is underway, the committee will try to get bulk discounts on tents and linens, and in-kind donations of other party essentials, to supplement the cash budgets they have allowed. That budget -- $1 million for all delegation parties, at which the city expects a total of 10,000 guests -- was fixed in April 2002. It has not changed since the committee's fund-raising efforts slowed. They are $6.5 million short of their $39.5 million fund-raising goal. The convention's total budget is $64.5 million.
A spokesman for the Republican National Convention, to be held in New York City this year, refused to disclose the budget for delegate parties there.
For some event planners, the $100-per-person budget will be a challenge, but one they're willing to meet.
"Anybody who does business in this city has to look at this [convention] week as an investment, and if people are looking to make a profit on any of these parties, I think they're approaching it the wrong way," said Lynne M. Kortenhaus, president of Kortenhaus Communications, which is one of the planners for the media party, which will entertain 15,000 guests on a budget of $800,000. "We have an opportunity to showcase the city for the future. If the funds are tight, or below somebody's expectation, you know what, you're in business, step up to the plate with creativity and imagination and resourcefulness and expertise. And if you don't want to do it, don't bid on some of these delegate parties."
The budget is not unrealistic for a two-hour party, Kortenhaus said. And planners said yesterday they could meet it without resorting to pigs in blankets and deviled eggs.
"Of course you would try to avoid things like lobster and shrimp," said Roosevelt St. Louis, whose firm Nouvelle Creation Catering and Event Planning will organize parties for delegations from Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Wisconsin, and Tennessee. "You would just find different ways to make it work: a dip rather than a lobster tail, cheese crudites and fruits. We're going to have to be creative, to tighten up our budgets and what ideas we previously had, and work within this budget."
So, elegant brocade table linens will give way to something more down-market, he said. And the six-piece band with singer will become the jazz trio. And hope will be held out for last-minute supplements from the host committee, in-kind donations and deep discounts. Several planners spoke of the $100 cap yesterday as "a good starting point."
And the delegates won't mind, said Bob Mulholland, campaign adviser to the California Democratic Party and a delegate to the 2004 convention. Sure, the last Democratic shindig, held in Mulholland's home state, was marked by some pretty lavish parties -- a $1.8 million fete for all delegates at Universal Studios was unforgettable, he said. But it's not about the parties, he added.
"Some of us come from Hollywood, so some of us will say it should be more," he said. "But for most of us [a $100 per person budget] will be fine."
The president of the International Association of Fire Fighters is blasting Mayor Thomas M. Menino for his handling of city union negotiations, saying Menino will be responsible for leaving Democrats with a "mess on our hands" if he doesn't move quickly to sign contracts before this July's Democratic National Convention....
In addition, the leaders of several unions -- including the firefighters -- are refusing to contribute to the convention host committee while their local affiliates work without contracts. The host committee, which is led by Menino, remains $6.5 million short of its $39.5 million fund-raising goal, and top committee members have said they expected unions to help raise the full amount.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Sunday, April 25, 2004
Labor leader assails Menino
Warns of convention 'mess' if pacts unsigned
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff
The president of the International Association of Fire Fighters is blasting Mayor Thomas M. Menino for his handling of city union negotiations, saying Menino will be responsible for leaving Democrats with a "mess on our hands" if he doesn't move quickly to sign contracts before this July's Democratic National Convention.
Harold Schaitberger, who is serving as one of the national cochairs of Senator John F. Kerry's presidential campaign, said Menino appears not to be taking the labor situation seriously. He said that while he would like to support the convention any way he can, he can't see helping out while Boston firefighters and other union members work without a contract.
"There seems to be a lack of commitment -- or a lack of understanding -- of how serious the situation is," Schaitberger said in an interview Thursday. "If the mayor does not clean up these contracts with the unions and the city, there are going to be a lot of problems, and a potential embarrassment for the city and the mayor during the convention."
Dennis A. DiMarzio, Boston's chief operating officer and Menino's top negotiator for labor contracts, said the mayor is integrally involved in contract talks and is committed to getting deals done. As recently as Wednesday, he said, city representatives spent five hours in "informal" negotiations with leaders of the 1,600-member Boston Firefighters Local 718.
"There couldn't be anything farther from the truth," DiMarzio said, referring to Schaitberger's claim that Menino isn't working diligently to settle contracts. "The mayor is taking it very seriously. We've been working hard with these unions."
He said he still thinks it's possible to settle all city contracts before the convention, if unions realize that the city cannot spend the type of money it did through the late 1990s. "The money that's been offered the unions, given the economic situation, has been extremely fair," DiMarzio said.
Schaitberger was one of the earliest labor leaders to sign on to Kerry's candidacy, and he has played a major role in the Massachusetts senator's presidential campaign, with frequent appearances at rallies and other public events. If the firefighters' union declines to help the convention financially or by sponsoring events, it would probably have little practical impact on the proceedings. But it could have strong symbolic power if a national labor leader closely aligned with Kerry publicly distances himself from the convention.
His comments came as national labor leaders begin to escalate their involvement in Boston's contract talks, with the convention's July 26 start date fast approaching. Thirty of the city's 32 labor unions -- representing about half of the city's 16,000 workers -- are still working without contracts.
Karen Ackerman, political director of the national AFL-CIO, said concern and anger is growing within the labor movement about Boston's inability to settle its contracts. With some 1,000 union members expected to be convention delegates -- and with labor leaders eager to support Kerry in his race against President Bush -- the fact that the convention host city has most of its unions working without contracts is "pretty outrageous," Ackerman said.
"The level of frustration is high, and it's all laid at Menino's doorstep," she said. "These contracts have to be resolved, and they have to be resolved now. Period. There is no more time to wait on these things."
Ackerman said the AFL-CIO's president, John Sweeney, has expressed his concerns in conversations with both Kerry and Menino, and will get more involved as it becomes necessary. Richard M. Rogers, executive secretary-treasurer of the Greater Boston Labor Council, said national labor representatives will be working more closely with local unions as the convention draws nearer.
"They are adamant, just as we are, that city workers receive equitable and fair contracts," Rogers said. "If the Menino administration thinks that somehow they can divide us, they are making a major miscalculation."
Seth Gitell, a Menino spokesman, said the mayor is making progress in union talks. The Boston Teachers Union and the Salaried Employees of North America, the city's middle-managers' union, ratified contracts in recent weeks.
"As a former union member, the son of a union member, and a longstanding friend of labor, Mayor Menino is committed to creating and preserving union jobs in our city," Gitell said. "That's why he's so dedicated to making progress at the negotiating table."
City unions are planning their biggest demonstration yet for May 5, and are looking to national labor leaders and private-sector union members to join them. They are planning to hand out leaflets and hold signs at the FleetCenter, where the convention will be held in less than 100 days.
In addition, the leaders of several unions -- including the firefighters -- are refusing to contribute to the convention host committee while their local affiliates work without contracts. The host committee, which is led by Menino, remains $6.5 million short of its $39.5 million fund-raising goal, and top committee members have said they expected unions to help raise the full amount.
"There's no way that national unions are going to fund this convention while their local members are without contracts," Rogers said.
Public watchdog groups have criticized Republicans for using a charitable group to help host lavish parties at this summer's presidential nominating convention, but Democrats are now employing the same strategy.
Democrats are inviting corporations to contribute up to $100,000 to attend the "Rockin' on the Dock of the Bay" party in Boston on July 28, the night before Senator John F. Kerry is expected to be formally nominated to challenge President Bush. The event's official beneficiary is the National Childhood Cancer Foundation's "CureSearch" program, but the trappings are overtly political.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Friday, April 30, 2003
Parties' use of charities eyed
Democratic, GOP fetes questioned
By Charles Babington, Washington Post
WASHINGTON -- Public watchdog groups have criticized Republicans for using a charitable group to help host lavish parties at this summer's presidential nominating convention, but Democrats are now employing the same strategy.
Democrats are inviting corporations to contribute up to $100,000 to attend the "Rockin' on the Dock of the Bay" party in Boston on July 28, the night before Senator John F. Kerry is expected to be formally nominated to challenge President Bush. The event's official beneficiary is the National Childhood Cancer Foundation's "CureSearch" program, but the trappings are overtly political.
Senator Blanche Lincoln, Democrat of Arkansas, is chairing the "late night concert party" at the Roxy club to honor seven fellow southern Democratic senators. A $100,000 donation, according to a brochure, nets "8 backstage passes with photo op, 25 VIP Lounge passes" and "100 General Admission passes." Five other donor levels are offered, the lowest being the $2,500 "Dock Pass," which yields three general admission passes.
At past Democratic and GOP conventions, such soirees were financed with unlimited "soft money" donations from companies and individuals. But the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law now bars national political parties from taking soft money, so lawmakers are turning to charities.
The charities lend an element of altruism to the events and make donations partly tax-deductible. The charities are to receive the net proceeds -- probably 75 percent or more, organizers say -- after costs are covered.
Public interest groups complained when House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Republican of Texas, scheduled a concert, a golf tournament, a yacht cruise, and other events to coincide with the GOP convention in New York, in the name of the charity Celebrations for Children. Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, called for an ethics inquiry, saying DeLay's event misuses a tax-exempt charitable organization to provide wealthy interest groups with access to key lawmakers.
As for Lincoln's "Rockin' on the Dock," Wertheimer said this week, "We're concerned about it, and we're going to take a very hard look at it." It differs from DeLay's plans, he said, because it involves only one event and because CureSearch is a well-known national charity, whereas Celebrations for Children is closely tied to DeLay.
Less than three months before Democratic National Convention delegates arrive in Boston, organizers still need to raise another $4.5 million for the extravaganza - more than $50,000 a day.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Wednesday, May 5, 2004
DNC still $4.5M short
By Jack Meyers
Less than three months before Democratic National Convention delegates arrive in Boston, organizers still need to raise another $4.5 million for the extravaganza - more than $50,000 a day.
The city's host committee, Boston 2004, raised $1.9 million during the past month, bringing the total to just under $60 million in private donations, said spokeswoman Karen Grant.
"We're completely confident that we'll meet our fund-raising goals in the same manner we've met our other goals," Grant said. "We're very confident with where we are right now."
Among the new donors in the last month were David and Joselyn Belluck.
David Belluck, a venture capitalist at Riverside Partners, is a co-founder of the Massachusetts Democratic Leadership Council, the local chapter of the national DLC, the conservative wing of the Democratic Party.
Also donating last month was Trinity Financial, a development firm that received at least $38 million in state loans last year to develop two sites owned by the city.
Trinity is rebuilding the Boston Housing Authority's Maverick Gardens project in East Boston and is building housing at the former Boston State Hospital in Mattapan.
A previous donor, New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc., increased its contribution last month to bump itself up to the "platinum benefactor" category. The firm has substantial real estate holdings in the city's Brighton neighborhood.
Democratic National Convention Committee chief Rod O'Connor also announced that delegates, media and others coming to Boston for the event in late July will be able to book their hotel rooms online using a Quincy-based firm's technology.
Passkey International's Internet reservation system connects convention-goers with rooms at 63 participating hotels and three universities housing attendees, O'Connor said.
Menino has said repeatedly that tax dollars will not have to be used to help pay for the convention, and the budget proposal he filed last month reflected that promise....
Still, Governor Mitt Romney has rebuffed Menino's efforts to get the state to pitch in, saying the city should be responsible for paying for an event Menino helped lure. Councilor at Large Maura Hennigan, a frequent Menino critic, said she and the unions would keep a close eye on any city resources Menino tries to direct to the convention, since city taxpayers have been promised that their money won't be used for the
event.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Wednesday, May 5, 2004
Democrat gathering is facing cash woes
Convention panel $4.6m short of goal
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff
With 83 days left before the Democratic National Convention, local organizers remain $4.6 million short of fulfilling their fund-raising commitment and have brought in only about $650,000 in new cash donations in the past month.
Julie Burns, executive director of the convention host committee, said she isn't concerned about the pace of fund-raising. Organizers said they have also secured donated services worth about $1.25 million in recent weeks, bringing them about $1.9 million closer to their target than they were a month ago.
"We are absolutely certain and confident that we will reach our goal," Burns said yesterday at a press conference held to discuss convention planning.
Boston 2004, the convention host committee, must raise $39.5 million in cash and in-kind contributions under the terms of its contract with the Democratic National Convention Committee, and any gap would have to be made up by public entities, including the city of Boston. In addition, the federal government is providing $25 million to cover security costs, though convention planners concede that the true cost of security could be higher, and those costs could fall to the city or the state to cover.
Fund-raising efforts have been impaired by the fact that 30 of Boston's 32 public-employee unions are working without contracts, and several national labor leaders have refused to help out Mayor Thomas M. Menino financially while their local affiliates are engaged in tense negotiations with the city. Burns declined to comment on the status of contract talks or their impact on fund-raising.
The unions are putting more pressure on Menino in the run-up to the convention. Today, they're holding a rally at the FleetCenter, where the Democrats will convene July 26 to 29, to highlight the fact that the unions do not have deals with the city in place.
Thomas J. Nee, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, said he is sure that Menino will need tax dollars to pay for the convention, a prospect he said his union will vigorously oppose. The patrolmen's association is threatening to picket outside the convention if the union doesn't have a deal by then.
"I've had enough promises from this administration to last a lifetime," Nee said. "The precious revenues that we have should be for the city's business."
Menino has said repeatedly that tax dollars will not have to be used to help pay for the convention, and the budget proposal he filed last month reflected that promise.
"Mayor Menino is pleased by the progress that Boston 2004 continues to make," said Seth Gitell, a Menino spokesman. "They make progress every week, and he is confident they will reach all their goals."
Still, Governor Mitt Romney has rebuffed Menino's efforts to get the state to pitch in, saying the city should be responsible for paying for an event Menino helped lure. Councilor at Large Maura Hennigan, a frequent Menino critic, said she and the unions would keep a close eye on any city resources Menino tries to direct to the convention, since city taxpayers have been promised that their money won't be used for the event.
"If you say something, it has to mean something," Hennigan said. "We have contracts that haven't been resolved. It is just not fair to the residents of the city for tax dollars to pay for this."
In keeping with its policy, the host committee declined to say what new donations it has brought in. But a donor list on the Boston 2004 official website indicates that New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. has upped its previous commitment substantially, from $750,000 to at least $1 million.
The site also lists one additional benefactor with a pledge of between $100,000 and $250,000: Eric H. Greenberg, who became wealthy after founding several Internet consulting companies. Three new donations of less than $50,000 have been added as well: Mortgage Guarantee and Title Company, Trinity Financial, and David and Jocelyn Belluck, who were major local fund-raisers for Wesley K. Clark's campaign for president.
Convention organizers yesterday announced an in-kind contribution by the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau to provide an online reservation system for hotel bookings by delegates, the media, and others who are coming to Boston for the convention. Quincy-based Passkey International Inc. will be running the website, replacing the complicated, paperwork-heavy system in place at previous conventions.
"It is huge from our standpoint," said Peggy Wilhide, a convention spokeswoman. "It will allow everybody to book online, eliminating those hundreds of thousands of copies of paper that used to be mailed and faxed around."
Burns said planning is coming together for Celebrate Boston 2004, three weeks' worth of community celebrations that will begin around the Fourth of July. Thirty-five companies and organizations, including City Year, the USS Constitution Museum, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Museum of Afro-American History, have already expressed interest in putting on events open to the public as part of those activities, she said.
Local artists will have work on display at Gallery NAGA on Newbury Street, the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury will host a multicultural art exhibit, and the Children's Museum will have interactive exhibits run by Citizen Schools.
"We are making tremendous progress," Burns said.
Meanwhile, in Albuquerque, N.M., Bill Richardson, chairman of the Democratic National Convention, expressed confidence Menino would resolve the contract disputes with city labor unions before the gala kicks off in late July.
"We're in the hands of Mayor Menino, who is going to resolve these issues. He's very pro-worker and I'm supporting him fully," the New Mexico governor told reporters at a news conference after he appeared with the presumed party nominee, John F. Kerry.
The upcoming Democratic National Convention poses "a lot of problems" for cops because of the city's relatively small police force, narrow streets and downtown public buildings, the Hub's top FBI agent said yesterday.
"It's going to be a strain on law enforcement," FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Ken Kaiser said during a meeting with the Herald yesterday. "You look at New York City and they have 38,000 cops. We've got 2,000 state troopers and 2,000 (Boston police officers). It's going to be a tremendous challenge."
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Thursday, May 6, 2004
Demmie bash tempting as terror target:
FBI official discusses security
By Dave Wedge
The upcoming Democratic National Convention poses "a lot of problems" for cops because of the city's relatively small police force, narrow streets and downtown public buildings, the Hub's top FBI agent said yesterday.
"It's going to be a strain on law enforcement," FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Ken Kaiser said during a meeting with the Herald yesterday. "You look at New York City and they have 38,000 cops. We've got 2,000 state troopers and 2,000 (Boston police officers). It's going to be a tremendous challenge."
The Herald reported last month that federal officials expressed concerns over the size of the city's police force during a recent roundtable discussion.
Boston police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole, however, said "there's no question we'll have plenty of resources."
Planning has been under way for 17 months, new equipment has been ordered and officers are in specialized training. In addition to Boston's 2,200 cops, the city will utilize regional police task forces, 1,200 state troopers and MBTA police, as well as officers from various neighboring communities and state and federal agencies.
"Although Boston is not going to be single-handedly handling it, we overlap in other jurisdictions that we can draw from," O'Toole said.
Kaiser, who oversaw security at the 2002 Super Bowl in New Orleans as that city's FBI head, said the July 26-29 Hub event poses a significant risk as "the first political convention after 9/11."
"Would it be an extremely critical, high-value target? Yeah, it probably would be," Kaiser said. He added, though, that there has been no "credible intelligence" of terror threats targeting the DNC.
Beyond al-Qaeda concerns, the FBI is preparing for protesters, including some extremists with a history of clashes with cops. Investigators have been studying so-called "eco-terrorists" tied to violent riots at the 2000 World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle and the 2001 G8 Summit in Genoa, Italy. Agents will travel to the June G8 summit in Savannah, Ga., to survey protesters, some of whom are expected to attend that event, as well as the Boston DNC and New York City's Republican National Convention in September.
"(The protesters) will probably hit all three. These people don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat. They've got a message they want to get to the world," Kaiser said.
While most protesters are "law-abiding," the FBI is concerned about some "fringe" extremist groups with violent pasts, he said. "We plan for everything. Hopefully nothing will happen,' he said.
U.S. Coast Guard spokesman Lt. Dean Jones said there will be patrolled security zones on downtown waterways during the convention. The Charles River will be closed north of the FleetCenter from the Charlestown Bridge to the Museum of Science. Boats will also be banned from coming within 250 feet of shore around Logan International Airport.
Boston officials have issued new rules requiring groups to get additional approval before they can legally protest or hold other public events during the week of the Democratic National Convention.
Civil liberties groups and Boston's main police union object that the application process, set up by the city exclusively for the week of the convention, will compromise their right to free speech. They say that Boston officials have erected a bureaucratic maze that will complicate and extend the process of getting approval....
Critics of the new guidelines say they give the city wider discretion to deny permits and extend the process from what is currently about three days to as much as a month. Officials with the lawyers guild and the patrolmen's association said they are considering taking legal action against the city if their concerns are not addressed....
In Los Angeles, where Democrats held their convention in 2000, the city kept in place its regular event-permitting process for the week of the convention. But that process was deemed too restrictive, and the city was forced to relax permitting rquirements after civil liberties groups challenged them in court. A federal judge ordered Los Angeles to establish a protest area closer to the convention site just weeks before the 2000 convention was to begin.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Thursday, May 6, 2004
Convention protests must meet new rules
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff
Boston officials have issued new rules requiring groups to get additional approval before they can legally protest or hold other public events during the week of the Democratic National Convention.
Civil liberties groups and Boston's main police union object that the application process, set up by the city exclusively for the week of the convention, will compromise their right to free speech. They say that Boston officials have erected a bureaucratic maze that will complicate and extend the process of getting approval.
"They're creating a lot more of a hassle for people who want to come and exercise their political rights during the convention," said Carol Rose, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. "They're not creating a friendly, welcoming image of the city. They're increasing the bureaucracy."
The Massachusetts chapters of the ACLU and the National Lawyers Guild will hold a press conference near the FleetCenter tomorrow to highlight their concerns over the city's plans for protesters at the convention, which will be held July 26-29.
They are also upset that the city has not moved its proposed protest zone, which the ACLU and the lawyers guild argue does not meet court requirements that protests be allowed "within sight and sound" of demonstrators' intended audience.
Yesterday, members of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, which has been battling Mayor Thomas M. Menino over stalled contract talks, also voiced anger over the city's new requirements for convention protesters. At a demonstration at the FleetCenter involving several city unions, officers said the city is trying to stop their voices from being heard.
Thomas J. Nee, the patrolmen's association president, accused Menino of "stripping us of our liberties and our First Amendment rights." The police union has promised to protest outside the convention if they are still working without a contract when Democrats convene to nominate their presidential candidate.
City officials say they are not trying to stop any groups from protesting. The revised guidelines are the best way to handle what is promising to be a hectic week in Boston, officials argue.
The extra layer of approval the city is adding for the convention is only intended to provide a central agency to help guide protesters and event planners through what is normally a complicated permitting process, said Patricia Malone, director of the city's consumer affairs and licensing department. She added that the changes will help the city to keep a handle on all events being planned for Boston the week of the convention, for public safety reasons.
"We're trying to help them, and we're trying to expedite the process," Malone said. "It allows one person to tell you what steps you need to take to get your event permitted. It's really set up for efficiency and so the city has a comprehensive view of every single thing every single department has to do that week."
Under the existing system, groups planning demonstrations in the city apply directly to the city agencies from which they need approval. For instance, permits for a parade are obtained from the Boston Transportation Department and the Boston Police Department, with the entire process wrapped up in less than 72 hours.
For the week of the convention, applications for public events first must be processed by the city's Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing, which could take as long as 14 days. Then applicants must take their paperwork to individual departments for authorization. When that process is complete, they will be required to return to Consumer Affairs and Licensing for final approval.
Under the city's convention-week guidelines, applications can be rejected for reasons including a scheduling conflict with a previously planned city event, an applicant's outstanding debt to the city, or "unreasonable danger to the health and safety" of the public. Malone said her office can always reject applications for those reasons, but they have not previously been listed formally by the city. The formal list is being provided to avoid misunderstandings and confusion, she said.
Malone said the city is merely formalizing several normally informal steps for the benefit of out-of-towners not familiar with the local bureaucracy and to help the city keep tabs on all public events.
Despite the city's official estimate of weeks, permit approvals should require only a few days in most cases, she said. And if planners see their first choices for times and places snatched by other groups, she said, her office will recommend other possibilities.
"I don't think it's going to hold anyone up," Malone said. "It won't be a big issue."
Critics of the new guidelines say they give the city wider discretion to deny permits and extend the process from what is currently about three days to as much as a month. Officials with the lawyers guild and the patrolmen's association said they are considering taking legal action against the city if their concerns are not addressed.
"It's ridiculous and outrageous," said Urszula Masny-Latos, executive director of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Lawyers Guild. "Everyone is very frustrated with how the city is handling this. They've changed the system completely for this one week during the convention."
Several groups that applied for protest permits earlier in the year are being forced to resubmit their applications, under the guidelines for convention week announced two weeks ago. The Bl(a)ck Tea Society, a group of anarchists and antiauthoritarians, applied in March for two major convention-week marches and an all-day festival on Boston Common. The group's representatives say they now fear the city won't let them protest.
"They don't want to give anybody the opportunity to speak," said Elly Guillette, a Bl(a)ck Tea Society member. "I almost feel like they're working for [Senator John F.] Kerry's campaign."
Malone said that no applications will be denied based on the messages groups want to deliever. She said the city is operating on a first-come, first-served basis for times and places of public events. Though groups that have already applied will have to resubmit applications under the new guidelines, they will have first rights to the slots they have requested, she said.
Rose of the ACLU blasted the city for waiting so long before finalizing its plans for protesters. With about 80 days left before the convention, protesters say they are still waiting on the city to finalize plans for the location of a designated protest zone, making it nearly impossible to make specific plans for protests.
"They can't seem to get their act together," Rose said. "You cannot apply if you don't know what's going to be open."
Planners have said they expect thousands of protesters to arrive for the convention, staging protests, marches, and rallies throughout the city.
In Los Angeles, where Democrats held their convention in 2000, the city kept in place its regular event-permitting process for the week of the convention. But that process was deemed too restrictive, and the city was forced to relax permitting rquirements after civil liberties groups challenged them in court. A federal judge ordered Los Angeles to establish a protest area closer to the convention site just weeks before the 2000 convention was to begin.
It may be the city's turn in the national limelight, but in two important respects, it will be just like any other week in Beantown: The liquor will stop flowing at 2 a.m., and there will be no smoking in bars and restaurants.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Thursday, May 6, 2004
Convention drinking, smoke rules stay as is
By Rick Klein
Forget the late-night cocktails. And don't even think about lighting up.
Those were the messages yesterday from Boston officials, who played vice squad to put to rest two persistent rumors surrounding the Democratic National Convention. It may be the city's turn in the national limelight, but in two important respects, it will be just like any other week in Beantown: The liquor will stop flowing at 2 a.m., and there will be no smoking in bars and restaurants.
"You don't need liquor to have a good time," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "We're a city people want to come to. I think 2 o'clock's good. Why do we have to go to 4?"
Some local Democrats -- including David Passafaro, president of the convention host committee -- had expressed interest in allowing bars and nightclubs in the downtown area to stay open until 4 a.m. during the convention to accommodate "after parties" for delegates and VIPs.
But Menino said no groups have made formal requests to the city to push back last call, and he sees no reason to do so. Convention organizers don't care either way, according to a host committee spokeswoman, Karen Grant.
As for smoking, John Auerbach, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, said he felt the need to put out a formal statement to address rumors that the commission would waive the city's smoking ban during the convention, which will be held July 26-29.
"It's an urban legend that's really caught fire as we get closer to the convention," Auerbach said. "It makes a good story, but it is absolutely untrue."
The Democratic National Convention is to economic benefits as Iraq is to weapons of mass destruction: a policy in search of a new rationale. Proponents sold the convention as a cornucopia of monetary delights, a flood of new wealth to the region. Now, new studies predict it may actually be an economic drag.
So should we call a halt to the whole thing? Tell the Dems to find another city? Or just grit our teeth and go forward, vowing never to do this again?
No to all of the above.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Friday, May 7, 2004
Convention's value to Hub is priceless
By Tom Keane
The Democratic National Convention is to economic benefits as Iraq is to weapons of mass destruction: a policy in search of a new rationale. Proponents sold the convention as a cornucopia of monetary delights, a flood of new wealth to the region. Now, new studies predict it may actually be an economic drag.
So should we call a halt to the whole thing? Tell the Dems to find another city? Or just grit our teeth and go forward, vowing never to do this again?
No to all of the above.
The real mistake was ever trying to justify the convention on the basis of economics in the first place.
From the moment Boston organizers started dreaming of landing the convention, they spoke of it in fiscal terms, bandying about the sum $150 million. After the Democrats picked Boston, however, the alleged benefits jumped. Officials said last May that the statewide effect could be $300 million.
In fact, the city was so persuaded about this that a few months ago it launched a hubristic demand for, in Mayor Thomas Menino's words, Boston's "fair share," proposing to bill the state for half of the tax revenue it would collect from the convention. (Gov. Mitt Romney, a businessman who knows not to declare a profit until one is actually earned, declined.)
After that came a flurry of new studies. On March 30, the Beacon Hill Institute declared the convention would generate $121.6 million. A week later, the Boston Redevelopment Authority concluded the windfall was $154.2 million.
A week after that - and apparently in response to a column by the Boston Herald's Cosmo Macero - the BHI amended its analysis, saying the convention would actually cost the local economy $12.8 million.
What changed? Macero had pointed out that the convention had downsides, such as lost worker productivity from traffic delays as well as the cancellation of the Tall Ships parade and a U.S. Gymnastic qualifying event. Netting negatives against positives is an elementary point that the embarrassed BHI had apparently forgotten.
It doesn't end there, however. The BRA is still sticking with its number. Moreover, the revised BHI study is itself full of holes. For example, the institute says canceling the Tall Ships will cost $95.6 million. That might have been true if the exhibition had been similar to the 2000 SailBoston, an 11-day extravaganza with 120 ships. But the event planned for this summer was considerably smaller - only five days and just 10 ships. Its economic impact would have been a fraction of what BHI estimated.
A second example: BHI assumed $23.8 million in lost productivity because it figured that every commuter on Interstate 93 would lose an hour's worth of work due to traffic. That's ridiculous. Wouldn't one think, for example, that at least some of those commuters would take alternate routes or just leave for work early? And wouldn't those arriving late likely just work through lunch hour or stay later?
One can go on. Indeed, it's easy to pick through any of these economic studies and poke holes. So who's right?
It doesn't matter. For one, the numbers are, in truth, trivial. Convention backers go on endlessly about the 35,000 visitors it will attract. Big deal. That happens 81 times a year at Fenway Park. Moreover, not to sound ungrateful, but even under the most optimistic scenarios, the short-term economic impact is minor. Compared to a state gross domestic product of $300 billion, $150 million (or even $300 million) is just noise - little more than a rounding error of one-tenth of 1 percent.
More importantly, in debating short-term economic gains, we're asking the wrong question.
The right question is: What effect will the convention have on the city five, 10 or even 20 years from now? For instance, 10 years from now, a one-time attendee might be CEO of a biotech company in Iowa. Looking to expand, she casts about for locations and, remembering back to her experiences in Boston, decides to locate here.
The effect can be huge but, quite obviously, totally unpredictable.
Yet what is predictable is that scenarios such as these are more likely to occur when Boston exposes itself to the outside world. The less parochial we are and the more we effectively sell ourselves, the greater the odds are that people will move here, do business here, create art here or otherwise engage in a myriad of activities that benefit the region.
And that's why, even if it is a loser in the short run, the convention still makes sense. It's not unique in that, of course. Many other events, including the Marathon, trade shows or the always-elusive hometown World Series, offer the same opportunity. We may whine about them, thinking them a pain, but the right approach is to consider them an investment.
Making an end-run around city unions that are refusing to help with the Democratic National Convention until they have contracts, Mayor Thomas M. Menino is appealing directly to private-sector unions for convention donations and a key labor agreement needed to complete preparations of the FleetCenter before delegates and news media arrive in late July....
With construction set to begin at the FleetCenter June 8, leaders of building trade unions say they will break ranks with their public-sector counterparts if they feel they have to, to ensure that convention business goes to their members....
But even if that deal is finalized, 29 of the city's 32 bargaining units will still be working without contracts. Several unions, led by the patrolmen, are threatening to picket outside the convention if they don't have deals in place....
The public-employee unions view the convention mainly as a bargaining chip that can win them concessions from the city in the current round of contract negotiations.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Saturday, May 8, 2004
Menino tries new tack with unions
Woos private sector for convention funds
By Rick Klein, Globe Staff
Making an end-run around city unions that are refusing to help with the Democratic National Convention until they have contracts, Mayor Thomas M. Menino is appealing directly to private-sector unions for convention donations and a key labor agreement needed to complete preparations of the FleetCenter before delegates and news media arrive in late July.
Cooperation from the private-sector unions would be a step forward for Menino, who is under pressure to raise money for the convention and rapidly settle labor disputes, and a setback to city unions, which have counted on support of private labor as they negotiate contracts.
Last month, the mayor had breakfast in Boston with leaders of about 15 local building and construction trade unions, encouraging them to help close the convention host committee's $4.6 million fund-raising gap. That meeting has already netted a $100,000 contribution from the regional carpenters' union, and other checks are on the way from unions representing electrical workers, pipefitters, and plumbers.
In addition, host committee officials are in talks with the Boston area's building trade unions to get them to sign a no-strike guarantee covering construction and related work at the FleetCenter. Such a move would circumvent the Greater Boston Labor Council, which includes both private- and public-sector unions and is threatening not to sign such an agreement until Boston settles more contracts with its workers.
Signing a "project labor agreement" only with the building trades, instead of the larger umbrella group, would break with the practice at each of the previous three Democratic national conventions. Convention organizers in Boston say they still hope to sign the agreement with the Greater Boston Labor Council.
With construction set to begin at the FleetCenter June 8, leaders of building trade unions say they will break ranks with their public-sector counterparts if they feel they have to, to ensure that convention business goes to their members.
Joe Nigro, secretary-treasurer of the Building and Construction Trades Council of the Metropolitan District, said that if the Greater Boston Labor Council refuses to sign the labor peace agreement, he is willing to do so on behalf of his own unions.
"I've got to protect my building trades unions," Nigro said. "I'd like to see the Greater Boston Labor Council signed on to it. That way we can look each other in the eye. But I'm not going to hold out."
Convention organizers are in the process of awarding contracts for 61 days' worth of construction, electrical work, carpentry, painting, and the installation of audio, video, and lighting systems. The convention budget calls for $3.4 million in construction work at the FleetCenter and more than $10 million in other construction and preparations involving wiring, podium design, and media filing facilities.
Richard M. Rogers, executive secretary-treasurer of the Greater Boston Labor Council, said his group is the appropriate body to sign a project labor agreement, citing precedents at previous conventions. He noted that an agreement with only the building and construction trades wouldn't cover other convention-site work, including telecommunications wiring and bus-driving services.
The mayor, he said, should make the whole issue moot by quickly settling city contracts, so that public- and private-sector unions can feel comfortable signing an agreement, he said.
"It's not for anybody else to sign but the Greater Boston Labor Council," Rogers said. "The Menino administration has the capability of making our decision to sign an easy one."
But David A. Passafaro, president of Boston 2004, the convention host committee, said the building and construction trade unions are the most important to lock down in a project labor agreement.
The project labor agreement isn't required by law for construction to begin. But the unions want one in place to make sure that contracts go to union shops, and the host committee wants it to guard against strikes or other job actions in convention preparations. Such an agreement would also have symbolic value, as Democrats try to maintain their image as a labor-friendly party. Thomas J. Nee, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, said that a decision by the building trades to sign an agreement on their own could have negative consequences for the union movement in Massachusetts. He said the mayor is trying to pit unions against each other and said the police union would set up a picket line at the construction site if the building trades go forward without the Greater Boston Labor Council.
"My hope is that they honor that line, because we have honored their lines, many, many times before," Nee said. "Menino is pitting brother against brother. It's unacceptable, and I hope the building trades see through it."
Menino's press secretary, Seth Gitell, said the mayor's primary focus remains on settling contracts with city unions. Those efforts now have more than half of the city's workforce under contract or tentative agreements.
"The recent agreements reached by Mayor Menino demonstrate exactly what he's been saying all along: Boston's a union city, and the city will work with all unions," Gitell said.
Menino is coming under increasing pressure to settle city contracts before the Democratic National Convention, which will be held July 26 to 29. The city has shown some progress of late, with a tentative pact reached this week with a 1,500-member bargaining unit of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees.
But even if that deal is finalized, 29 of the city's 32 bargaining units will still be working without contracts. Several unions, led by the patrolmen, are threatening to picket outside the convention if they don't have deals in place.
The recent moves by Menino and the host committee he controls seem designed to strip the public-employee unions of two pieces of leverage: the ability to hold up construction by not signing a project labor agreement and the ability to hurt fund-raising. The moves indicate that the mayor is trying to cope with the situation in part by taking advantage of a split between public- and private-sector unions.
The public-employee unions view the convention mainly as a bargaining chip that can win them concessions from the city in the current round of contract negotiations. Private-sector workers in the building and construction trades, meanwhile, are eager to partake of the lucrative contracts generated by the build-up and take-down associated with preparing the FleetCenter for a national political convention. They also want to maintain a strong relationship with a mayor they say has been good to them over the years.
"We expect to put many, many people to work, and we are fortunate to have the convention in Boston," said Michael Monahan, business manager for Local 103 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. After the breakfast with Menino, he said he has been in touch with the international union to make a "sizeable" donation to Boston 2004.
"There is going to be a lot of electrical work at this thing, and anything that helps move this thing along helps Boston, and in turn helps us," Monahan said.
Rogers said he is unconcerned about contributions to the host committee by private-sector unions. He said Menino knows that the public-sector unions have far deeper pockets, and many of them are declining to give until the city shows more progress in settling contracts.
"Any contributions they've received are negligible, compared to the money that's being held back," Rogers said.
Maybe it's the warm weather, or the Red Sox' homestand, but the network camera crews are starting to arrive, doing their preconvention pieces, trying to get ahead of the curve on the disasters to come, and can we all agree that there will be more than a few? ...
Anyone with any sense will be long gone from Boston before the last week in July. But if you are stuck here, and get into trouble, just remember that there's one excuse that will always work that week.
"It's all President Bush's fault."
(Full report follows)
The Boston Herald
Sunday, May 9, 2004
Get ready for DNC disasters
By Howie Carr
As the Democratic convention draws closer, prepare for the words that soon will be resounding throughout the city:
"Do you know who I am?"
"You have the right to remain silent, Senator...."
Maybe it's the warm weather, or the Red Sox' homestand, but the network camera crews are starting to arrive, doing their preconvention pieces, trying to get ahead of the curve on the disasters to come, and can we all agree that there will be more than a few?
Look at it this way - if you had $10,000 to spend on your house and wanted to upgrade the kitchen or redo the downstairs bathroom, would you hire Mayor Mumbles Menino as your general contractor?
Yes, he claims the convention will boost - or did he say "boast?" - the city's economy. And "hope burns eternal," as Mumbles put it, that everything will work out for the best. But the most we can hope for is the sort of low comedy that soon will be unfolding:
"He claims he's a Boston city councilor, but I don't see anyone named `Michael Ross' on any of the VIP lists."
"I wouldn't know about the Hooters in D.C., Senator, but we don't have any waitress sandwiches on our menu here."
"Pass your belt and shoelaces through the bars, Congressman."
At least City Hall isn't allowing the ginmills to stay open until 4 a.m. Imagine what a disaster that would have been, with so many Kennedys in town. Speaking of which, will Bill Clinton have to register with the Boston Police Department as a sex offender? The BPD should set up special sex-offender registration booths at Logan to deal with the molesters.
These Democrats have more problems with underage females, and males, than R. Kelly. A lot of these delegates could have been prison guards in Iraq. Ex-Reps. Gerry Studds and Mel Reynolds, not to mention Neil Goldschmidt, the newly admitted statutory rapist ex-governor of Oregon - the BPD needs to make sure every one of these reprobates gets a palm card as he steps off the plane citing all pertinent laws on the age of consent in the commonwealth.
Will Gary Condit be in the house? Jim Traficante?
The other day on the radio, for the benefit of a Fox News Channel crew, we opened up the lines to discuss the impending influx of career criminals into the city. A few callers, mostly on public or strip-club payrolls, claimed to be pleased about the DNC.
"I'm on overtime all that week," said one MBTA worker. "It's going to be great."
Yes, but how do you suppose service will be that week? How rapid will rapid transit be?
"I wouldn't know anything about that," he said. "I'm not in management."
Spoken like a true member of Local 589.
Given the set-asides for gender-bender delegates, this should be a record-busting week for joints like Jacques. Barney Frank [related, bio] ought to get himself sworn in as a justice of the peace, because he could make a fortune marrying delegates - maybe even do one of those Sun Myung Moon-type mass weddings at the FleetCenter.
One thing that's already disappeared - John Kerry's $1 million powerboat, the Scaramouche. TV crews have been poking around Nantucket, and it's as vanished as the Edmund Fitzgerald. But the Democrats have plenty of other events scheduled:
"Another photo op with Sen. Kerry at a veterans' hospital?"
"Another photo op with Sen. Kerry and Sen. Cleland at a veterans' homeless shelter?"
Anyone with any sense will be long gone from Boston before the last week in July. But if you are stuck here, and get into trouble, just remember that there's one excuse that will always work that week.
"It's all President Bush's fault."
In preparation for the Democratic National Convention, Boston police are getting training from Israeli suicide terrorism specialists and crowd-control tacticians in Northern Ireland and Philadelphia, where police cracked down on protesters during the 2000 Republican convention, according to a document obtained by the Globe....
"The city will see unprecedented security for this event," said Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole....
State officials have already said they will close Interstate 93 while the convention is in session and the North Station MBTA station will be closed. Several businesses in the area, including Massachusetts General Hospital and several court buildings, are cutting back operations during the week the delegates are in town.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Sunday, May 9, 2004
Police getting expert aid on DNC security
By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff
In preparation for the Democratic National Convention, Boston police are getting training from Israeli suicide terrorism specialists and crowd-control tacticians in Northern Ireland and Philadelphia, where police cracked down on protesters during the 2000 Republican convention, according to a document obtained by the Globe.
The Boston Police Department's operational plan for the convention calls for police to work 12-hour shifts, equipped with riot gear, and provides new details about the city's security efforts during the first political convention since the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
City and police officials say they are trying to devise an airtight security plan that will still allow the city and the neighborhood around the FleetCenter to remain open during the four-day event. The federal government is paying $25 million to cover security costs.
"The city will see unprecedented security for this event," said Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole. "It should reassure the public that an inordinate amount of planning has gone into this event. The draft is very comprehensive and has been under development for 17 months. Plans will continue to evolve as we get closer to the event."
The 30-page draft plan outlines the roles of the Boston police and 20 other federal and state law enforcement agencies in providing security during the convention. It does not give specific deployment numbers or assignments.
Officials declined to provide further details about training, but the plan details dozens of training exercises that some or all of the officers have participated in or will take part in by mid-July. All personnel will be trained in suspicious package detection, bomb threats, hazardous material response, and evacuation procedures, the plan says.
Additionally, according to the document, the so-called "hard" security zone around the convention arena -- where only credentialed delegates, journalists, convention employees, and police can enter -- has been enlarged from previous plans. The zone, which originally encircled the FleetCenter and the Thomas P. O'Neill federal building, now stretches several blocks to North Washington Street to the east and New Chardon Street to the south, and includes the area where buses and trucks bringing delegates and cargo to the area will park.
Delegates, reporters, and employees will have to pass through metal detectors and X-ray machines at a tightly guarded checkpoint in order to enter, according to the plan. All participants, even police, will have to show credentials. All bags and packages will be hand searched.
Once inside the secure area, police will not be able to leave. They will eat and take their breaks inside the zone and will arrive and depart by bus, according to the plan.
A soft security zone -- where cars will be excluded but uncredentialed pedestrians will be allowed -- encompasses a several-block area bounded by Causeway, New Chardon, Canal and Merrimac streets, according to the plan. Cars will be excluded beginning July 23.
Owners of area businesses had hoped for a large pedestrian area. They said an increase in foot traffic might offset the disruption in business caused by the convention.
The plan also calls for extra vigilance for delegates. "Disruption by demonstrators to delegate transportation to the convention and DNC-related events is a major concern. The department will maintain 24-hour security at each hotel," according to the plan.
More than 20 agencies will play a role in providing security for the delegates, politicians, and the public during the convention that will take place July 26 to 29.
The US Secret Service is the lead agency, but Boston police are responsible for providing backup security inside and outside of the FleetCenter, hotels where delegates and the Democratic National Convention Committee will be housed, and at the special delegate parties and other events around the city, according to the document.
Boston police and the Secret Service will be aided by the Massachusetts State Police, the Massachusetts National Guard, and the Massachusetts Department of Correction. Correction officers will be called in if there are mass arrests.
Boston police officers will not be allowed a day off or vacation during the convention week.
In addition to regular patrol officers, the department will assign special units, such as the drug control unit and youth violence strike force, to convention duty.
Each day, the officers on duty will assemble at UMass-Boston for roll call and credential checks. They will then be bused to their assignments, the report said.
All officers will be required to wear bulletproof vests and have riot gear with them, including a helmet with a face shield, a 36-inch baton, and a gas mask. They will be authorized to use pepper spray to "engage law violators."
"The department's response to problems must be proactive, immediate, and interdictive but not disproportional to the problem," says the report. "The operational plan's main objectives are to maintain order, protect lives, protect individual rights, protect vital facilities, arrest law violators, and protect property. To achieve these objectives, the department must have a balanced, proportional response that prevents incidents from developing to an unacceptable level."
State officials have already said they will close Interstate 93 while the convention is in session and the North Station MBTA station will be closed. Several businesses in the area, including Massachusetts General Hospital and several court buildings, are cutting back operations during the week the delegates are in town.
Rick Klein of the Globe staff contributed to this report.
So the threat of protest has been good for city unions, who are seeing long-stalled negotiations move quickly. But that won't do any good for the political protesters who can't be bought off by raises or loosened residency requirements.
The city is required by law to designate an area for protesters, though it has yet to do so. Ideally, it won't follow the lead of Los Angeles, which four years ago established a protest zone so far away that it was struck down in court.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Monday, May 10, 2004
Free speech complicated
By Adrian Walker
So just how far from the FleetCenter will the protesters at the Democratic National Convention end up? Blocks away? Miles away? Dedham?
The city announced last week that protesters will face a more onerous permitting process than they had originally envisioned. The convoluted procedure in force for the convention is almost comparable to the maze many people are forced to navigate if they want to open a business in Boston.
City officials insist their motives are pure. The head of the city's Office of Consumer Affairs and Licensing said last week that the main purpose of the more complicated approval process is to keep better tabs on what is happening during what is sure to be a very busy week, not to prevent anyone from protesting. Some of the protesting groups themselves -- as well as the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts -- are not so convinced. Their skepticism is understandable, since almost every group with a gripe against City Hall is poised to pick up some signs.
Mayor Thomas Menino's biggest nonconvention headache, his labor woe, is finally beginning to show signs of abating, helped by last week's tentative agreement with one of the city's biggest unions. Still, he couldn't relish the prospect of protests from other unions, especially the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, which probably won't have a contract by late July and has vowed to picket. For a convention that is almost as much a television show as a political event, this is not great news for the mayor.
Actually, some incidental good is beginning to come from the convention. To make a deal with the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Menino has apparently decided to soften the city's residency requirement, probably the most blatantly unfair policy he has ever embraced.
It was always a dubious law. But to quiet a grass-roots political movement that erupted during the campaign that made him mayor in 1993, Menino decided to enforce the long-unenforced requirement that city employees live in the city. It was unenforced for at least one good reason. The majority of city employees were exempt from it, and most of those covered by it were near the bottom of the pay scale. As a city councilor, Menino had always been indifferent to the requirement. Suddenly, it became a cause, forcing the employees who could least afford it to live in the city. Now, out of the same expediency that led him to take it up, he seems prepared to quietly drop it.
So the threat of protest has been good for city unions, who are seeing long-stalled negotiations move quickly. But that won't do any good for the political protesters who can't be bought off by raises or loosened residency requirements.
The city is required by law to designate an area for protesters, though it has yet to do so. Ideally, it won't follow the lead of Los Angeles, which four years ago established a protest zone so far away that it was struck down in court. Ideally, the city will do the right thing and eliminate this possibility before it gains momentum as an issue.
For all the anticipation of a FleetCenter coronation of John F. Kerry as the Democratic nominee, much of the convention news has revolved around problems, sluggish fund-raising, and transportation restrictions, as well as the protests. That's not unusual for any national convention, and it doesn't say anything about how the convention will ultimately come off.
Chances are, it will be the celebration of Boston that Menino yearns for. But if the city is perceived as playing hardball with protesters who are only seeking to exercise their First Amendment rights, Boston's image will be the loser -- which would undermine much of the rationale for fighting for the convention in the first place.
Good publicity matters. And so does bad.
The
‘manageable’
traffic nightmare worsens
The process of shutting down Interstate 93 during the upcoming Democratic National Convention will begin up to three hours prior to the 7 p.m. start that security planners have announced, state and city officials say, and will disrupt the end-of-the-day commute more extensively than originally believed.
Boston transportation planners and mayors of cities north of Boston expressed relief last month when it was announced that I-93 would close at 7 p.m. on the four nights of the July 26-29 convention, which would allow most commuters to get home before the vital north-south artery was sealed....
State officials continue to hope that commuters will stay away from the city the last week of July.
"We're making sure people know: This will be a rugged commuting week," said Flynn. Those who cannot stay away should give themselves plenty of extra time and take mass transit, he said.
The transit option for commuters north of Boston, however, is also problematic. North Station will be closed, and commuter trains will stop at points north of the city and transfer riders to the subway and special buses.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Closure of 1-93 may hit rush hour
Process could start at 4 on convention nights
By Anthony Flint, Globe Staff
The process of shutting down Interstate 93 during the upcoming Democratic National Convention will begin up to three hours prior to the 7 p.m. start that security planners have announced, state and city officials say, and will disrupt the end-of-the-day commute more extensively than originally believed.
Boston transportation planners and mayors of cities north of Boston expressed relief last month when it was announced that I-93 would close at 7 p.m. on the four nights of the July 26-29 convention, which would allow most commuters to get home before the vital north-south artery was sealed.
But Mayor Thomas M. Menino and top state officials are now warning that closing the interstate will itself take as long as three hours, with some feeder roads and entrance and exit ramps being shut down in stages beginning at 4 p.m., in the very heart of rush hour.
"There's no drawbridge here," said state Public Safety Secretary Edward A. Flynn, who acknowledged that the closure is an elaborate task involving State Police, state highway officials, and Boston and other local police departments. "To get this roadway empty and shut, it's going to take a few hours."
Seth Gitell, a spokesman for Menino, said the mayor expects the impact of such preparations to be felt by 4:30 or 5 p.m.
"It's true that they need a couple of hours to set it up, to put up all the barriers and so forth," Gitell said.
Officials at the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which has had to close portions of I-93 for construction dozens of times, said police must close the road one entrance ramp at a time, a process that involves detouring traffic to open roadways and secondary roads that in turn have been clearly marked.
"It happens in stages, and it's a lot of work," said spokesman Sean O'Neill. "You can't just snap your fingers and be done."
The highway, used on a typical weekday by some 200,000 drivers, is being closed for security reasons, because of its proximity to the FleetCenter, site of the convention.
State transportation officials have refused to say how much of I-93 will be closed and thus what ramps and feeder roads will be closed or the sequence in which they will be shut down.
However, it is anticipated that northbound traffic will be diverted through the Ted Williams Tunnel or the Massachusetts Turnpike westbound. The Sumner Tunnel will almost certainly be closed, including its offramp to I-93 north, and motorists will probably use an alternative route to the Tobin Bridge heading north.
Southbound traffic may be diverted at the Leverett Connector, which is the ramp to Storrow Drive and the Tobin Bridge. It is not known where drivers will be allowed to enter I-93 southbound in downtown Boston, if at all.
All drivers and particularly commercial through-traffic will be encouraged to avoid Boston altogether and use Route 128, whether they are headed south or north.
Mayors from north of Boston are especially worried about the impact on their communities, concerned that their local roads may be overwhelmed during the interstate's closure. They were relieved when Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen M. O'Toole told them last month that the shutdown would be from 7 to 11 p.m., according to the latest information she had from the Secret Service. That time frame now is seen as overly optimistic, because it does not account for time needed to set up detours.
"It's going to be a heavy burden on us," said Mayor Joseph Curtatone of Somerville. "We have 65,000 cars a day on McGrath-O'Brien [Highway]. Chances are, if you are coming from Boston points north, you're coming through Somerville, and there's a real public safety concern."
Curtatone said that with a shutdown starting at 4 p.m., depending on which ramps and feeder roads are closed in what order, more commuters will be seeking alternate routes. Police will have to be posted at key intersections, he said, to avoid gridlock and minimize confusion that worsens congestion.
"We know the closure will start rolling at a certain time, and it's going to be dynamic," he said. "When the final plan is crafted -- in conjunction with Everett, Cambridge, Medford, and Chelsea -- we'll be able to get a better grasp on it and prepare locally. But we also want some resources. We don't have the manpower, from a public safety standpoint. We don't have the money to pay for that type of overtime."
When asked if Menino was worried about people not being able to commute home from Boston on the four weekday afternoons of the convention, Gitell said a "comprehensive public awareness campaign" will assist all travelers and make the best of the situation.
"The final transportation plan will be completed soon, and as soon as that happens," the public outreach ampaign will begin, Gitell said. Menino "is confident the campaign will raise awareness and prepare for this momentous event."
Jon Carlisle, spokesman for the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction, said Highway Department engineers are meeting regularly with Boston 2004 and the Secret Service, which sets the closing time and will lay out the specific road-closing plan.
"It's reasonable to assume that there will be some staging and setup time required," Carlisle said.
Meanwhile, US Representative Stephen F. Lynch, Democrat of South Boston, said he is worried the road closure process itself poses a security problem, in case there is an emergency and large numbers of people need to get out of the city. He has asked transportation and security officials for a briefing to explore the question, a spokesman said.
State officials continue to hope that commuters will stay away from the city the last week of July.
"We're making sure people know: This will be a rugged commuting week," said Flynn. Those who cannot stay away should give themselves plenty of extra time and take mass transit, he said.
The transit option for commuters north of Boston, however, is also problematic. North Station will be closed, and commuter trains will stop at points north of the city and transfer riders to the subway and special buses.
The
“inevitable”
cost
overruns arrive ‘on
time’
The price tag for FleetCenter construction and event production for the Democratic National Convention could be as much as 40 percent higher than originally budgeted, forcing the party and local organizers to consider cutting back on spending or asking presidential candidate John F. Kerry to help close the gap....
One convention organizer said that the production figure, originally pegged at $5.9 million, has exceeded $8 million and that the construction cost estimates, once pegged at $7.2 million, now top $10 million....
The host committee is also facing a $4.6 million shortfall in fund-raising to meet its $49.5 million budget; $10 million of the total is to be in-kind contributions.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Convention budget overruns pose new woes
Party may ask Kerry for aid
By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff
The price tag for FleetCenter construction and event production for the Democratic National Convention could be as much as 40 percent higher than originally budgeted, forcing the party and local organizers to consider cutting back on spending or asking presidential candidate John F. Kerry to help close the gap.
David Passafaro -- chairman of Boston 2004, the convention host committee -- confirmed that contractors are submitting final cost estimates that are higher than budgeted in the contract between his group and the Democratic National Committee.
Passafaro and another convention organizer said that Democratic Party officials will have to chose whether to try to raise more money or to trim some of the production and construction plans. "We have to decide what we want to buy," said Passafaro, a former top aide to Mayor Thomas M. Menino.
"We're looking at the scope of work and at the cost side," said the host committee chairman, who would not disclose the extent of the cost overruns.
One convention organizer said that the production figure, originally pegged at $5.9 million, has exceeded $8 million and that the construction cost estimates, once pegged at $7.2 million, now top $10 million.
Passafaro insisted that the final budget is not complete and that no game plan has been developed for finding the funds or cutting back on construction and production plans for the FleetCenter. He would not comment on the options, including whether the committee will ask Kerry to pick up the tab.
Another Boston 2004 official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that local organizers feel they have met their obligations and that the decisions on what to do about the cost overruns will be up to the national party and to the Kerry campaign.
A final determination on the extra costs will not be made until May 24.
That official said the committee has informed the Kerry campaign of the potential problem. "Clearly modifications have to be made in the program, but that is not up to the host committee," said the committee member.
The Kerry campaign did not respond to an inquiry about the budget problems.
Peggy Wilhide, a spokeswoman in Boston for the Democratic National Convention Committee, confirmed that organizers are getting figures from contractors that exceed the current budget. But she said those figures are under review, and she would not comment on steps to deal with the overruns.
One cost overrun is the media pavilion that will be constructed on a lot abutting the FleetCenter, Wilhide said.
Estimated to cost $1.5 million, the pavilion will be two stories high, have hard walls and ceilings, a roof of canvas, and enclose about 100,000 square feet. It will be removed at the end of the four-day event.
The production costs cover staging, technical equipment, telecommunications, and video displays inside the FleetCenter. The construction costs cover erection of temporary structures within the FleetCenter, plus the media pavilion. The construction is being managed by Shawmut Design and Construction.
The host committee is also facing a $4.6 million shortfall in fund-raising to meet its $49.5 million budget; $10 million of the total is to be in-kind contributions.
But Boston 2004 officials say they are confident they can raise those funds.
"As we get close to the event, people from around the country are more focused, and ... we are confident we will make our goal," Passafaro said.
The unexpected higher costs for the production and construction could add another hurdle.
However, convention shortfalls are not unusual. Two months before the 2000 Democratic convention in Los Angeles, Al Gore appointed Terry McAuliffe, a proven Democratic fund-raiser, as chairman of the event, to help plug a $7 million budget hole. McAuliffe is now the chairman of the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, chairman of the Democratic National Convention, yesterday expressed confidence that rising costs will not prevent the party from putting on an event that can provide all the "pizzazz" needed to showcase John Kerry's presidential candidacy....
"I am not concerned about it," Richardson told reporters after a brief tour of the convention hall where Democrats will convene in July. "I wouldn't even call them cost overruns. These are projections."
Meanwhile, an association that represents contractors that use nonunion workers tweaked convention organizers by saying the party could save up to half, or about $1.4 million, of the extra costs for the construction work if it allowed nonunionized companies to bid on the work.
"Higher prices result from less competition and restricting construction to union-only firms cuts out the 80 percent of construction firms that choose not to sign with unions," said Greg Beeman, the president of Associated Builders and Contractors of Massachusetts....
"We are a union city," Menino said. "I would rather pay to have to well-trained experts do the jobs and get the benefits.
(Full report follows)
The Boston Globe
Friday, May 14, 2004
Convention head downplays concerns
Says rising cost won't hurt event
By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, chairman of the Democratic National Convention, yesterday expressed confidence that rising costs will not prevent the party from putting on an event that can provide all the "pizzazz" needed to showcase John Kerry's presidential candidacy.
Richardson acknowledged that some "glitches" -- an apparent reference to the unexpected cost increases -- still need to be resolved. But he said Democratic leaders can raise the funds to cover any higher-than-expected costs involved for the production and construction to set up the four day event at the FleetCenter.
"I am not concerned about it," Richardson told reporters after a brief tour of the convention hall where Democrats will convene in July. "I wouldn't even call them cost overruns. These are projections."
The Globe reported yesterday that convention organizers are facing charges from contractors that are 40 percent higher than the $7.2 million budgeted for construction. The production costs, which include video and telecommunications, and other technical equipment, have risen 30 percent above the $5.9 million that was originally estimated.
"We want a first-rate convention," Richardson said. "If it means spending more resources to make a convention with pizzazz ... we're going to do it. If it means more fund-raising, so be it."
Richardson toured the FleetCenter with O'Connor and Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. Both Richardson and Vilsack have been mentioned by Democratic Party sources as potential vice presidential candidates for Kerry's campaign. Meanwhile, an association that represents contractors that use nonunion workers tweaked convention organizers by saying the party could save up to half, or about $1.4 million, of the extra costs for the construction work if it allowed nonunionized companies to bid on the work.
"Higher prices result from less competition and restricting construction to union-only firms cuts out the 80 percent of construction firms that choose not to sign with unions," said Greg Beeman, the president of Associated Builders and Contractors of Massachusetts.
"I'm sure the DNC appreciates the $100,000 donation from Carpenters' Union and the other trade unions," Beeman said, referring to a recent contribution from the regional carpenters' union. "Unfortunately for them, it's not going to come close to offsetting the costs resulting from union-only construction at the convention site," he said.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino accused Beeman and the ABC of playing politics with the cost issues.
He said the convention will benefit by hiring union workers because they are "experts and properly licensed in their fields."
"We are a union city," Menino said. "I would rather pay to have to well-trained experts do the jobs and get the benefits.... They are part of the community. They do a lot of community benefits."
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