"That was not a good start, creating the food police," said Councilman Charlie Brown.
To add insult to injury, special "Denver daisies," bred for the city's 150th anniversary in November and designed to bloom during the convention, are having a hard time growing. Only about a third have blossomed -- an issue so serious that the City Council heard a report on it this month.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday, July 30, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 71 words Type of Material: Correction
Democratic National Convention: An article in Monday's Section A about problems the Democrats are having raising money for their national convention quoted the executive vice president of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce as saying his organization was going to donate $250,000 to the convention but had to hold back $150,000 to fight ballot initiatives. The group has donated $250,000, but held back an additional $150,000 it had planned to give.
For their part, many Denver residents, apparently fearful that security measures will paralyze the compact downtown, say they plan to skip town the week of the convention.
Steve Farber, co-chairman of the host committee, denied that the city was in over its head. He said fundraising had picked up since Obama clinched the delegates needed for the nomination last month.
"We had confidence in the city, and I really believe the companies within the city and Colorado have stepped up," he said.
Ciruli said the convention would probably be a success, especially for Democrats eager to expand out of their base on the coasts.
"The backdrop is still working very well for them," he said of the national party. "I'm just not sure it's working very well for Denver."
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nicholas.riccardi@latimes.com
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Times staff writer Mark Z. Barabak contributed to this report.
