-
Nov 2, 2007 8:18 am US/Mountain
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
Denver Native Makes Convention Dream Come True
by Brooke Wagner
DENVER (CBS4) ―
Elbra Wedgeworth grew up in northeast Denver and is committed to the city. She's the only person in recent memory to serve in all three branches of Denver city government, the city council, the city auditor's office and the mayor's office.
Now she's the Denver official in charge of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. It's a job she has spent years considering.
"I started thinking about it in late 2005," Wedgeworth said. "Gov. Howard Dean had just been elected the party chairman and he was in here Colorado."
"I just decided to raise my hand and say, 'We've hosted the All-Star game, World Youth Day, we can host 35,000 Democrats. What do you think Governor?' He kind of looked at me strangely and said, 'The big process starts in February '06.'"
That's when Wedgeworth started talking to her friends, assembling a committee and raising money to make a proposal to get the process.
It wasn't long before she was with Mayor Hickenlooper when he realized the convention might really come to Denver.
"His pager went off and he said, 'This is the New York Times about our bid. This is real.'"
Wedgeworth said it makes sense to have the 2008 convention in Colorado.
"The pathway to the presidency is through the West. We feel because of the political landscape, not only in Colorado but in the region, we have gone more Democratic because of the various people who have been elected, so it just made sense."
Finally the phone call awarding Denver the convention came on January 12. It brought Wedgeworth to tears.
"I'm a Denver native. I grew up here, I love my city and my state and I want the world to see it. I want them to enjoy the things that we do everyday."
Wedgeworth is used to accomplishing what sometimes seems like the impossible and knows all about setting goals.
"Coming from a poor family and going to Manual (High School) and really setting goals for myself are what's really helped me succeed but also helped keep me centered and focused because I never forgot where I've come from and I'll be here for the rest of my life," Wedgeworth said.
Now she's setting goals of making the 2008 convention from different than others.
"Since this is the first convention that's been in the Rocky Mountain West in 100 years, it's not just about Colorado. It's about Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona, all of our surrounding neighbors, because they really feel like this is their convention too."
(© MMVII CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)