Many agree, DNC move could pay off in Southie
Maybe delegates to the Democratic National Convention shouldn't think brunch at the Four Seasons, or martinis at Top of the Hub. Instead, maybe they could benefit from a few pints at the Blackthorn Bar or a nice hefty sandwich from Liberty Bell Roast Beef.
Governor Mitt Romney's suggestion to pluck the convention from the FleetCenter and move it to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in South Boston has some residents of the most political of political neighborhoods thinking that it might be good for delegates to get a taste of something new. And it might be good for the neighborhood.
"I'm not a Democrat, but it would mean extra money for the neighborhood. We could use extra money," said Bill Foley, 37, a lifelong South Boston resident. "I think it would be great if they came here. It's my neighborhood."
As Foley spent St. Patrick's Day afternoon at Croke Park on West Broadway, he said visitors would take advantage of the area's offerings.
"There's already all kinds of traffic downtown. Over by the water, that would be much better," said Mary Brooks, 48, a chief inspector for the MBTA and South Boston resident. "You've got better scenery. People can come off the train, the bus. It's an excellent idea."
Democrats say they're not likely to move from the FleetCenter, because it's too late to change and because a convention center is not the kind of venue in which they want to show off their nominee. But that hasn't stopped some from speculating about the benefits of a South Boston political happening and about the neighborhood's advantages -- such as the fact that there's no Big Dig construction to get in the way.
"Look at what they're doing downtown," said Gary Davis, a manager of Ross Motor Parts on West Broadway, referring to construction and possible traffic problems during the convention. "It's killing the North End."
Others said the move would not affect their usual routines.
"You've got traffic up here all day long, all the time, you know?" said John Warnock, a retired telephone mechanic. "There's parking facilities down there for 1,000 cars. I don't see how this would affect me in any way."
But not everybody in South Boston likes the idea. City Councilor James M. Kelly, who represents the neighborhood, said a Democratic convention in South Boston would only move the traffic nightmares to his neighborhood. "Most hotels are in the Back Bay," Kelly said. "And there is just no good route for shuttle buses to transport delegates back and forth."
Kelly said he thinks neighborhood residents would be upset about buses clogging the neighborhood's streets. The trip back downtown would involve a tricky snaking through Chinatown and the South End, he said.
Meanwhile, at Amrhein's Restaurant on West Broadway, bricklayer Tom McIntyre called Romney's suggestion to move the convention a maneuver to "make himself famous."
He said he wasn't expecting the move to be an easy undertaking, but that it could be a financial boon for South Boston.
"There's a certain amount of disruption that takes place in these things, but you have a choice: You either disrupt the neighborhood in South Boston or you disrupt downtown."
Residents said they want to know more about the pending convention. A number of locals stopped on the street said they don't vote and that the event was not important to them. After all, they would not be the ones attending champagne toasts and corporate parties.
"It's not going to make a big difference where they hold it," said Bill Grant, 65, a South Boston accountant. "I'm indifferent to the whole thing.." 