The Democratic National Committee got a last look at Brooklyn on Friday.
The committee’s chairwoman, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D–Florida) visited the borough and toured Barclays Center with Mayor DeBlasio as part of the political party’s final deliberation over where to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Brooklyn is a frontrunner alongside the obviously defective cities of Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio.
New York released the details of its private fund-raising last week, saying it has $20 million in donations committed so far towards its $100 million goal, including $6.5 million in the bank. The city also announced a 119-member host committee, and 10 co-chairmen and women who are supposed to help raise the dough. Prominent committee members include Leonard Litwin, the 100-year-old developer reported to be the unnamed developer who prosecutors say hired a law firm close to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, knowing that Silver was receiving lucrative referral fees from the firm. Litwin has not been charged with breaking the law. The team heading up the group includes fashion icon and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Napster co-founder Sean Parker, and Goldman Sachs head Lloyd Blankfein.
Wasserman Schultz’s visit comes a week after activists called for Mayor DeBlasio to come up with a plan to mitigate the impact of traffic and crowds around the convention, and the mayor’s office countered by lining up six dozen businesses in support of the shindig.
The party is expected to make a decision in the next several weeks.
