Democratic dollars
FRUSTRATIONS related to the upcoming Democratic National Convention in Boston reached a peak in recent weeks as feared traffic snarls turned into highway bans and a hoped-for $150 million boon to the local economy changed into a feared $50 million bust. But some of the city's neighborhoods and area's small businesses may still benefit significantly from the upcoming event.
Boston 2004, the host committee for the convention, has already contracted for more than $900,000 worth of services with 46 small and women- or minority-owned businesses from its directory of local vendors, which includes roughly 550 entertainers, florists, caterers, event planners, souvenir sellers, and related businesses. That should be just a start.
Most of the roughly 1,000 convention week social events will be hosted by private corporations.
After a slow start, plans are also materializing for the 30 delegation parties slated to take place on the Sunday evening before the convention in Boston's neighborhoods. Getting the delegates out of the downtown hospitality suites and into the city's museums, breweries, bakeries, and historic homes remains one of the convention's most original touches.
Trish Karter, president of Dancing Deer Baking Co. in Roxbury, will host delegates from Minnesota, North Dakota, and Georgia in conjunction with the nearby Shirley-Eustis historic mansion. Desserts should be no problem for the gourmet bakery. But Karter was still waiting earlier this week for Boston 2004 to assign her a caterer. At the Boston Nature Center, an Audubon sanctuary in Mattapan, staffers were waiting to hear about their entertainment options for the Wisconsin delegation.
Communication with the local venues has been a problem. It should improve with the host committee's recent hiring of Mark Walsh, a highly regarded event manager.
The convention is expected to rank sky-high on the public aggravation index due to widespread security measures. The least those with access can do is shop locally.
