Philadelphia Submits Proposal To Host 2016 Democratic National Convention
By Paul Kurtz and Kim Glovas
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Friday was the deadline for those cities considering hosting the Democratic National Convention in 2016, and Philadelphia was one of those who got their paperwork in on time.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter has officially announced that the city has submitted it's proposal to the Democratic National Committee to host the 2016 National Convention.
Nutter says this is just the beginning and there will be competition, but Philadelphia is uniquely situated to be accessible to hundreds of thousands of people. He says 100 million people are within a day's drive of Philadelphia.
They Mayor says Philadelphia is a hub for the world's largest airline, the new American Airline. And he says when you are talking about the eastern part of the nation, Philadelphia is the heart and soul of the Northeast corridor. Nutter adds Amtrak is also a key component as well as the Philadelphia International airport.
Most cities are expecting to pay about $50 million to host the DNC party in 2016. Congressman Bob Brady, one of the movers and shakers on Philadelphia's team, says with more than 200 members of Congress attending the event, the cost of security will be less than in years past.
"We've done it in 2000, we did the Republican convention and this one will be a little cheaper, because now since 9/11, since Congress are special members of the DNC and they have security following them around, so the security will be cut in two-thirds," Brady said.
Brady says the hospitality industry and labor unions are also pushing for the event.
Josh Shapiro, the Democratic chair of the Montgomery County Commissioners, says if the Philadelphia proposal is successful, it will showcase the region and be an excellent opportunity for economic growth.
""The competition is tough. There are some great cities across the wonderful United States of America. We think the Philadelphia region is uniquely situated to host it. We think being a big city puts us in a unique position, particularly compared to some of the competition, we're gonna be working as hard as we can to convince the DNC that Philadelphia is the right place," Shapiro said.
The DNC is not expected to make a decision until late 2014 or early 2015.
