Mayor Doubts Fund-Raising For Convention

Mayor Bloomberg is raising serious concerns about whether the city will be able to raise the estimated $85 million needed to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

"How do you, in this day and age, go and pay for these conventions when a lot of people would like to give their money to specific candidate races or candidates rather than to the convention itself?" Mr. Bloomberg said yesterday during an appearance in Queens.

Mr. Bloomberg's comments come as the Democratic National Committee is in down-to-the-wire negotiations with New York and Denver, the two cities competing to play host to the 2008 presidential convention. DNC officials, who were expected to choose a city this week, said yesterday they would not make a decision until early January — an indication that talks have become increasingly intense.

"Because of the holiday week and at the request of both cities, we will announce the convention city in early January," the press secretary for the DNC, Stacie Paxton, said.

The mayor has been wooing the Democrats for months, but has publicly expressed reservations about whether the city can handle the responsibly of another fund-raising campaign. The mayor is currently leading the fundraising initiatives for the World Trade Center Memorial and for experimental poverty initiatives.

He noted that the challenge would intensify if the three potential New York presidential candidates — Governor Pataki, Senator Clinton, and Mayor Giuliani — decide to run, as they'll likely be competing for the same politically involved donors.

Political wisdom suggests Denver would be a better backdrop for Democrats as they're trying to make inroads in parts of the country that are traditionally Republican or swing areas. But despite Mr. Bloomberg's concerns, there is still far more money to tap into in New York than in Denver. Republicans have already chosen Minneapolis-St. Paul for their 2008 convention.