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Tuesday, May 24, 2011
News / Democratic National Convention 2012 Democratic National Convention 2012 Notebook: Part 1
Posted By Mary C. Curtis on Tue, May 24, 2011 at 11:28 AM
Away we go!
It seemed so far away, when the Democratic National Committee in February named Charlotte as the site of the party’s 2012 convention. Well, it turns out September 2012 is closer than you think. If you live in Charlotte and just started making plans, you’re already behind — unless, that is, you’ve decided to leave town and make some money renting out to visitors.
I think I’ll stay, maybe because after covering the 2008 Democratic convention in Denver, I know the political theater will be irresistible. I’m starting out early, with regular reports for Creative Loafing — from Washington, the region and Charlotte — on the important and the quirky. I’ll have some opinions, too.
Kevin Monroe will leave Mayor Anthony Foxx’s office to serve as deputy director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Outreach. Former County Commissioner Dan Murrey had previously been named executive director of the Charlotte in 2012 Host Committee. Charlotte architect and former Mayor Harvey Gantt had been asked by current Mayor Foxx to research "best practices" of previous national conventions in preparation for Charlotte’s turn in the international spotlight.
And, of course, you will be hearing a lot more from Foxx, whose efforts helped bring the convention to Charlotte. At the same time, he faces other challenges. "As mayor of this city, I've still got to lead it," he told me just after the DNC chose Charlotte. "It's a matter of not getting seduced by the flashbulbs and staying true to the things I got into this office to do.”
The 2008 event transformed Denver. Political and entertainment celebrities gathered for seminars, parties and face time. I attended a very serious reading of historical documents featuring Josh Brolin and Rosario Dawson, a not-so-serious party where Sean Penn was the most famous and most casually dressed (it always works out that way), and interviewed future First Lady Michelle Obama the day after her speech to the convention crowd.
Now, Charlotte, the ultimate put-on-a-show city, gets a world-class chance. It’s exactly what it wished for, and — if nothing else — it will be a wild ride. Stay tuned ...
Mary C. Curtis, an award-winning Charlotte, N.C.-based journalist, is a contributor to The Root, NPR, Creative Loafing and the Nieman Watchdog blog. Her “Keeping It Positive” segment airs Wednesdays at 7:10 on TV’s Fox News Rising Charlotte, and she was national correspondent for Politics Daily. Follow her on Twitter. http://twitter.com/mcurtisnc3
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