Monday, February 05, 2007
New CEO for Denver Host Committee
WE’VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
More news on Denver’s Host Committee’s reorganization:
Two sources familiar with the selection process say that lobbyist and longtime Democratic activist Mike Dino has been selected to become chief executive officer of the Denver host committee for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. An announcement is expected soon, the sources said.
Dino is a veteran of Colorado Democratic politics. He ran Wellington Webb’s upstart 1991 campaign for mayor. As a senior aide to Webb, he organized the Denver Summit of the Eight gathering of world leaders in 1997, and also worked on the opening of Denver International Airport and the redevelopment of the Lowry Air Force Base.
Willhite out, Dino in.
Update: And now it’s official:
Mike Dino, a lobbyist and senior policy adviser for the Patton Boggs LLP law firm, was chosen executive director of the host committee, which is retooling after landing the convention last month.
Debbie Willhite, who was executive director while the committee worked to bring the convention to Denver, said last week she planned to leave to make room for a “heavy-duty” fundraiser.
Posted by Matt at 10:14 PM 
I really hope Debbie Willhite is OK with bowing out for now. After all she has done for the convention, I’d hate to see her 86ed by the city.
In my conversations with Debbie, she’s been very up-front with the fact that she’s not a fundraiser, and that fundraising is job one, job two, and job three for the Host Committee at this point.
Debbie was hired to bring the Convention to Denver. She succeeded admirably, running gauntlets others will only dream about… Now the bid is over, and it’s time to raise the money we discussed in the bid.