Phoenix is one of five cities still in the running to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention. So party officials are visiting this week, months before the final decision is made. They’re looking at venues like the convention center and checking out hotels and public transportation as they tour the city. Amy Dacey is the CEO of the Democratic National Committee. She's not concerned with Arizona’s Republican politics, she said, or the heat of its summers. Instead, she's looking for the right security and other fundamental needs for such a large-scale event.
Dacey said Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton made an enthusiastic bid while in Washington, D.C., earlier this year.
"When the mayor and his team came into town, there was just a very openness and willingness to have us here and a real keen interest to host the committee," she said. "And I think a lot of this is those key aspects that I mentioned, certainly the finance, the logistics, some of those things that came into play. And those are the things that really brought us here."
Dacey wouldn’t say where Phoenix stands in the running. It’s competing against New York and Philadelphia, as well as Birmingham, Ala., and Columbus, Ohio. A decision should be made late this year or earlier next year.
