Democratic convention going $10m over budget

[rawstory]

As seen on The Raw Story, http://www.rawstory.com

Convention going $10m over budget
Construction, production costs blamed

By Ric Klein and Andrea Estes,
BOSTON GLOBE

Soaring production and construction costs are pushing the Democratic National Convention well above its $64.5 million budget, with staging, building, and readying the FleetCenter for television expected to cost $10 million more than initial estimates.

According to convention organizers, construction is expected to cost $13.9 million, nearly twice the $7.2 million estimated by local and national planners in 2002. And this week organizers signed off on a production budget of $9.1 million for Ricky Kirshner Productions, up from the $6 million in the Democratic National Committee's original agreement with the host committee.

The full scope of the construction and production projects is still being finalized by convention planners, in conjunction with Senator John F. Kerry's campaign. But according to several planners, the items driving costs skyward include several that Kerry aides and Democratic Party officials want in order to give the convention a different look: Two side podiums in addition to the main stage, for example, and plans to pipe in live coverage of remote appearances around the country during the convention.

In addition, new steel beams must be installed on the FleetCenter ceiling to support a state-of-the-art lighting system that the Kerry campaign's producers want to use. New rigging for lights, sound, and video must be suspended from the ceiling because national Democrats want the main stage in the middle of the arena, not at one end, as in most concerts held at the FleetCenter.

Full story: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/conventions/articles/2004/06/16/convention_going_10m_over_budget/

[MirrorAshes]

1. Money well spent, imo.

This is the best chance we have to really let the democratic party shine.

[rangerfan]

2. It might be well spent, but

you can bet the right leaning press will glom onto this with the help of the RW nuts and try to give it a negative spin.

[bearfan454]

3. It's worth it.

It is.

[hedda_foil]

4. Where the hell is that extra ten mil coming from????

This is party money, folks ... so is it gonna come from money that could be used to pay for ads or is the campaign gonna put the hit on rich donors to kick in to the convention fund ... thereby permanently indebting Kerry to them?

[trogdor]

5. What do you think the convention is?

It's a campaign ad stretched over a long weekend. We already have our nominee.