Charlotte organizers working to secure the 2012 Democratic National Convention said the compact nature of center city could provide a winning edge.

Leaders said they envision uptown Charlotte serving as an “Olympic village” that would house, feed and entertain some 35,000 delegates.

In a meeting with reporters Thursday, organizers also announced that they had hired outside consultants to bolster the city’s bid.

The meeting marked the first time that city leaders had offered a glimpse into what their strategy might be in pursuing the coveted convention, which could pump an estimated $200 million into the regional economy.

The Democratic National Committee announced in June that Charlotte, along with Cleveland, Minneapolis and St. Louis, had been named a finalist to host the convention.

"It's a tremendous honor for our community to be among the four cities selected for this process," said Mayor Anthony Foxx, who is co-chairing the effort with Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers. "It would be an even greater honor to win."

A site selection committee is expected to visit the city later this month, with a final decision coming by the end of the year. Rogers said President Obama would have the final say.

To help refine Charlotte’s efforts, organizers said they hired Tom McMahon, a former DNC executive director, and Karen Finney, a former DNC spokeswoman. McMahon led the DNC’s selection effort in 2008 when Denver was picked to host the Democratic convention.

Organizers also hired Charlotte marketing firm Luquire George Andrews, which designed a logo and launched a website.

Foxx said no public money would be used in this initial stage of the organizing effort. Rogers said he would be seeking to raise the money from corporate donors.

Organizers said Charlotte would present itself to the DNC as a forward-looking city that, despite a crippling recession, has had major new job announcements.

“Just look at what we have done,” Rogers said, pointing to the city’s new cultural campus on south Tryon Street, among other things.

Foxx and Rogers said brining the convention to Charlotte would be a victory for the entire region and state, and Rogers called for a bi-partisan effort. He also asked for volunteers to begin now pledging their time.

As for how much politics might play into the final decision is anyone’s guess.

“What we’ve got to focus on now,” Foxx said, “are the things we can control.”

McMahon, the former DNC director, told Qcitymetro that politics would not play heavily in the final decision. He noted that the GOP held its last four conventions in California, Pennsylvania, New York and Minnesota – states the party had little chance of winning.
More important, he said, would be issues such as technology, transportation and hotels – along with each city’s ability to keep delegates happy and send them home energized for a tough campaign season.

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