Lasry upbeat on Milwaukee hosting ’20 Democratic convention
Birmingham, Atlanta and Phoenix in the hunt
The official competition hasn’t yet begun, but Milwaukee is in full campaign mode to bring the 2020 Democratic National Convention to the city’s new arena.
Earlier this month, a delegation led by Alex Lasry held a reception at the Democratic National Committee winter meeting in Washington, D.C., to bring attention to “all things Wisconsin.”
They handed out swag, held a raffle “and hosted only the way Wisconsin can do it, a two-hour open bar,” Lasry said.
“It’s all about telling the story,” Lasry said Wednesday during a presentation to the Milwaukee Press Club.
Lasry provided an update on Milwaukee’s effort, which was launched in late February. The effort has the backing of Mayor Tom Barrett and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
Bid organizers have said the convention would bring an estimated 50,000 visitors and have a $200 million economic impact.
“I am here as citizen Lasry and chair of the Milwaukee bid committee,” he said, making clear he was not speaking on behalf of the Milwaukee Bucks, where he is senior vice president.
The DNC hasn’t formally opened the bid process, although site visits by a selection committee are expected in the summer, with a final decision next winter. Birmingham, Alabama, is considered a potential bidder. Atlanta and Phoenix are also believed to be looking at the event.
“This is a regional play. We are the only city in the Midwest bidding for the Democratic National Convention,” Lasry said.
He said the local committee is well on its way to raising the $750,000 to $1 million needed to go through the bid process.
He said other members of the bid committee include Martha Laning, head of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin; Paul Vornholt, director of the Port of Milwaukee; and Martha Love, a DNC member from Milwaukee.
The committee has retained Tom McMahon as a consultant. McMahon, a former chief executive of the DNC, helped manage Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential run and joined the former Vermont governor when he was chairman of the DNC.
In recent conventions, winning bid committees have had to raise anywhere from $50 million to $80 million, with some public money. Lasry expressed confidence Milwaukee could meet a target and that the committee would seek to limit the amount of public money used to host the event.
“There might have to be some form of public dollars, but our goal and our hope is to make it as close to zero as possible,” he said.
Lasry said in his view if there is leftover money from the event, it should “be given back to the community.” Organizers of the 2016 Democratic Convention in Philadelphia faced criticism for using some of the leftover money it raised to pay nearly $1 million in bonuses to staff and volunteers.
His overall vision for the event is to show off Milwaukee to the world.
Lasry said he was spurred on by Amazon’s search for a second headquarters and the fact that Milwaukee was never mentioned among cities with a viable chance. He also was sparked by those who said, “Can Milwaukee handle a convention like this?”
“What this bid effort is going to show, when we win this, is it’s going to put that question to rest,” he said.