Panel hosting 'most open and accessible' convention holds another closed meeting

The Charlotte committee hosting what's been advertised as the most open and accessible national political convention in U.S. history held another closed meeting Wednesday.

The Observer and other media were sent a news release hours after the meeting, which was mostly a guided tour of the various upcoming Democratic National Convention venues -- including Time Warner Cable Arena and Bank of America Stadium.

Members of Charlotte in 2012's host and steering committees first heard from Mayor Anthony Foxx -- a public official and co-chair of the host panel -- and were then bused around to the venues, the release said.

Former Charlotte Mayor Richard Vinroot, a Republican who was among those attending, said the group got to see where President Barack Obama will stand in the stadium -- around the 50-yard line -- when he gives his acceptance speech on Sept. 6.

Both Vinroot and Georgia Jacquez Lewis, a Democrat who also went on the tour, said there were no questions or discussion about fundraising. The host committee must raise $36.6 million to fund the convention, now just over five weeks away. Some reports have said the group is way behind their goal. Host committee officials will say only that they're "on track."

Host committee spokeswoman Suzi Emmerling said all host/steering committees are closed and that Charlotte in 2012 has been more forthcoming than its counterpart in Tampa, where the Republicans will hold their convention at the end of August.

But a report Wednesday from Tampa said that city's mayor, Democrat Bob Buckhorn, will host three town hall meetings in August to discuss the impact the GOP convention will have on residents and businesses. Nobody's calling that convention the most open and accessible ever, but the mayor's town hall meetings are expected to be open, not closed.

-- Tim Funk 

Any hints for Charlotte in Tampa's security plan?

The Secret Service has released its security plan for the Republican National Convention in Tampa at the end of August.

Measures include major road closures, motorcades and other traffic restrictions in downtown, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

WFAE reports what Tampa’s plan might mean for Charlotte when the city hosts the Democratic National Convention in September. Read the story here.

Liaison for delegates with disabilities

The Democratic National Convention Committee announced Tuesday it is working with Becky Ogle, a leader in the disability rights community, as a liaison for delegates with disabilities.

As senior advisor on disability and access, Ogle is reaching out to all delegates identifying themselves as disabled to ensure their needs are met from the moment they arrive in Charlotte until they leave, according to the convention committee.

She’s also working to ensure people with disabilities in the general public can attend President Barack Obama’s speech at Bank of America Stadium.

Ogle, a Tennessee native, has advised four prior Democratic National Conventions, including the 2008 convention in Denver. She has served as a senior advisor on disability issues for the Democratic National Committee, and as executive director of the Presidential Task Force on the Employment of Adults with Disabilities during the Clinton administration.

Also this week, convention organizers said they’ll use CATS buses to help transport delegates and guests with disabilities. Organizers said CATS buses are more wheelchair-accessible than the motorcoach buses also being used to transport attendees.

No party business yet

Reps at some special-event locations around town thought they would have heard by now from people interested in renting their spaces for DNC events.

Instead, “zero,” said Jay Parton, facility coordinator for Foundation of Shalom Park, the campus off Providence Road.

At a recent meeting of Charlotte event coordinators, Parton said, “Everyone asked the same question: ‘Do you hear anything about the DNC?’ Pretty much the answer that everyone gives is no.”

Meeting spaces and reception halls on the campus would be suitable venues for events, Parton said, especially for state delegations staying in nearby SouthPark-area hotels.

And while it’s still possible locales may get tapped closer to the convention, chances are dimming. Places that agreed to give convention organizers first dibs were released from that obligation at the end of June.

A total of 130 venues offered convention organizers first right of refusal on their spaces, according to host committee spokeswoman Suzi Emmerling. Those agreements were nonbinding.

Host committee members even escorted outside groups looking for breakfast or party spaces to different venues, said Emmerling, who won’t give specifics about successful matchups. But she said “hundreds” of events will take place.

Over at Enventys, a Third Ward (near Bank of America Stadium) innovation hub that works with inventors, convention folks have toured the former grist mill with hardwood floors and a full television studio. No offers yet, said spokeswoman Mary Dickson. (Photo of the upstairs entrance at Enventys is below.)

So the creative minds at the 23,000-square-foot space, home to the award-winning “Everyday Edisons” television series, may make their own party, Dickson said – to show off what they do to visiting media, and “to be a part of the whole week.”

Could a hurricane force GOP to seek refuge in CLT?

Could a hurricane blow the Republican convention from Tampa, Fla., to … Charlotte?

That was the buzz around some parts of the Queen City. The premise: If a last-minute hurricane blows into Tampa during the last week of August, Republicans would flee to a city already set up for a national convention and the needs of a worldwide media.

“We have contingency plans for any kind of interruptions that may happen,” says James Davis, head of the GOP convention’s Committee on Arrangements.”

So, could those plans include Charlotte? Don’t count on it.

“We’re confident that our contingency plans are in place and we’ll have a successful convention,” Davis says. --Jim Morrill

Convention will be learning experience for 100 students

More than 100 college students from across the country will get a convention close-up through UNC Charlotte. Students will take part in the Washington Center’s Democratic National Convention Academic Seminar, which is partnering with UNCC. The program runs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 7. Students will hear lectures from political leaders and volunteer at the convention, which starts Sept. 4. “The national convention, an integral part of the U.S. political process, is a piece of preserved history,” said Mike Smith, president of The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. “Students learn … in the thick of it.” The first week will focus on the history of presidential campaigns and conventions. The second will take place at the convention. Students will get volunteer assignments, even writing articles for papers like the Dallas Morning News. “These students are going to seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn in an environment which epitomizes the American democratic process,” said UNC Charlotte Chancellor Phil Dubois. --Jim Morrill

Kim Brattain is back on the job

Longtime WSOC (Channel 9) anchor Kim Brattain is planning to do a short documentary on the Democratic National Convention this September. Brattain, who left Channel 9 in 2008 after 16 years, now runs her own production company, Phase2Productions. She’s planning an upbeat documentary that goes behind the scenes of the convention. “Charlotte is going to get criticized,” she says. “All that’s going to linger are the things we did wrong. This is hopefully going to be a piece about how our gracious Southern city rolled out the red carpet.” Collaborating with Brattain will be well-known portrait photographer Mitchell Kearney, who has been interested in branching out into film. Brattain says she’s aiming for a 10-minute documentary, which is an optimum length these days to get considered for film festivals. Her first documentary, “A Glimpse of Grace,” about hardships in the Congo, was a finalist in three film festivals. She plans to follow people contributing behind the scenes like Stacie Jacobs, a Cabarrus event planner busy coordinating events for the delegations staying in the Concord area. --Mark Washburn