Parties and perks swelled Democratic convention tab
Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the 39-member staff of Boston's convention host committee stayed at the swank new Jurys Boston Hotel during the week of the Democratic National Convention, running up a bill of more than $50,000, according to detailed accounts of convention expenses.
The host committee, under contractual obligation to provide coffee to members of the Democratic National Convention Committee, spent nearly $20,000 on java and bottled water in the months leading up to the big nominating party in Boston. And in order to secure the FleetCenter for construction and the four-day festivities in late July, the host committee had to pay nearly $450,000 to wrest the site from groups that had already reserved the space: the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and USA Gymnastics.
The 1,249-page financial disclosure filed this week with the Federal Election Commission provides a window on the convention and its costs, on everything from the $10,000 price tag for T-shirts for the convention staff to the $174,000 in "Lion King" tickets donated by Disney.
Little Richard, who charged $37,500 to play at the media party, and his entourage had a tab of at least $3,000 at the Hotel at MIT. The host committee also paid $2,000 for the O'Jays to stay at the Tremont Hotel.
VIP valet parking at the $1.6 million media bash cost $3,000.
Convention organizers said the donated money was well spent.
"We were very good stewards of the donated dollars," said Boston 2004 president David Passafaro. "We tried to be as smart and as thoughtful about every piece of spending. But there really is no roadmap. Did we make mistakes? Fortunately they weren't real big ones or real expensive ones. We were very careful about how we were spending other people's money."
According to the documents filed this week, Boston 2004 Inc. raised $54.4 million and spent $48.2 million. With approximately $2 million in outstanding debts, convention organizers predict they will end up with several million dollars in surplus.
Delegates attended $100-a-head welcoming parties. But it was the big money donors who were treated to the best perks.
Million-dollar donors were invited to the Parkman House for a special reception. There were other donor-only events, including a $45,000 reception at the Boston Harbor Hotel, $30,000 in tickets to a Red-Sox Yankees game, and a $50,000 Fenway reception.
During convention week, the host committee staff, Menino, his wife, Angela, and his police security staff stayed at the newly opened Jurys Hotel, located at the former site of the Police Department headquarters on East Berkeley Street.
"Staying in the hotel provided the mayor the greatest degree of convenience, utility, and necessity in a week during which his days went for longer than 18 hours," said Menino's spokesman, Seth Gitell. "His wife stayed with him."
Organizers said they spent $51,000 for rooms from Saturday, July 23, to Friday, July 30. Rooms in the hotel cost about $375 a night, part of the $86,433 spent by the committee on lodging during convention week.
"We worked 29 hours a day," said Julie Burns, Boston 2004's executive director. "It was easier to have everybody in one place in terms of logistics. Our whole operation was run out of that hotel."
Members of the Boston 2004 staff were also well taken care of in the months leading up to the convention. Some had use of several of the 75 Cadillacs donated by
They were also well paid, receiving a total of $859,588 in salaries. Burns earned more than $100,000, and three aides took in more than $70,000.
Consultants -- including event planners, a construction manager, and fund-raisers -- also profited from the convention:
R.F. Walsh, the company run by Menino's friend Robert Walsh, was paid $167,745 to oversee the transformation of the FleetCenter. He also donated $130,000 in free services.
The Rendon Group was paid $1 million to produce the Boston Pops-James Taylor concert at the UMass Boston campus.
Jack Morton Worldwide, a consultant who helped plan the Sunday night Boston Pops Concert on City Hall Plaza, was paid $150,000.
Michael Wasserman, who planned three delegation parties and worked on the media party, was paid $262,000.
Fund-raising consultants were paid a total of $191,000, including Peter O'Keefe of Arlington Va., who was paid $50,000 in July and August.
Brian Rafanelli, an event planner, took in $84,500.
Among the $54.4 million donated to the convention was $8.6 million in in-kind contributions.
But other Boston institutions charged the host committee for their services or space. The Boston Symphony Orchestra, for example, billed Boston 2004 $125,000 for a Pops concert. The Red Sox charged $30,000 for game tickets.
The Wang Center charged $22,818 for a reception hosted by Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico.
Northeastern University billed nearly $34,000 for the Florida delegation party.
The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority charged $32,000 for the media reception held at the new South Boston convention center.
The expenditures and donations were listed in reports required to be filed by the host committee with the Federal Election Commission 60 days after the convention. It is the first detailed accounting of how it spent its donations.
Globe correspondent Heather Allen contributed to this report.
