Posts Tagged ‘Kitty Ratcliff’

“You cannot take photos or interview members of the site committee,” demanded Brian Wahby, a force behind the St. Louis host committee to lure the convention to St. Louis.  (Sorry, Brian, by the time you said that, the columnist, a dutiful news gatherer, had already covered the group). The site team, that will make their recommendations to the deciders to hold the 2012 convention here, might have already pored through the 1,000-page proposal, that had been submitted. (St. Louis is one of four cities being considered, including Minneapolis, Charlotte and Cleveland).  A tension-filled, bipartisan gaggle of our town’s leading citizens romanced the committee over cocktails at the Hilton Ballpark Hotel before a concert was to begin in Kiener Plaza. On hand were: Kitty Ratcliff of the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commish, who had just returned from Vancouver, where she took the show on the road at a trade show; County Exec Charlie Dooley on the Immigration Bill – “No one should have to carry an ID”; former mayor Vince Schoemehl with his wife, Lois – “It would be a celebration of the renaissance of downtown. It would be guaranteed to carry Missouri in 2012″; Missouri Treasurer Clint Zweifel – “It would be on a Super Bowl level”;  Martin Casas, president of the Young Democrats, with his wife, Katie – “It would be a new identity, a fresh outlook and perception of St. Louis”; GOPer Ray Wagner – “It’s all about showcasing St. Louis to the world, but I cannot further comment. I’m here for Enterprise (Rent-A -Car)”;  State Sen. Robin Wright-Jones – “It would stop St. Louis from being a midwestern, sleepy town”; site committee member Steve Kerrigan, sipping a Bud Select, to former Mo.Lt. Guv Joe Maxwell – “You have an amazing city”; Jerry Feldhaus, exec sect’y. and treasurer of the St. Louis Building Trades Council, turned to the woes of unemployment and moaned, “There is about 30 percent unemployment – across the board”; St. Louis Police Capt. Sam Dotson on the convention – “It’s ours to lose”;  East St. Louis Mayor Alvin Parks, with his wife, Jo Ann - “It would help boost the economy of East St. Louis through the spillover. We have gambling and entertainment.” . . . It’s a mystery why his Mysterious Majesty of Khorassan  (read that as the Veiled Prophet) banker Joe Imbs was a no-show.

Like they say in baseball – wait ’til next year!  An additional 100,000 conventioneers will head to our town, according to Kitty Ratcliff, prez of the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commish. The recently-bagged conventions are: The Missouri Valley Conference with 46,000 in 2012 and 2013; Capitol Sports Center (30,000 in 2011 and 2012); American Foundry Society (10,000 in 2013) and InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (20,000 in 2012). It happened at a convention dinner, when the emcee said, “We’ve heard so much about our next speaker.  Now, let’s get /his /side of the story.”

St. Louis remains on the semi-final list of possible venues for World Cup soccer matches should the U.S. win its bid to host the globe’s most popular sporting event.  Convention and Visitors’ prez Kitty Ratcliff will be flying out of town in mid-November to attend a seminar for tournament host cities… Have you heard anything about singer Denise Thimes being detained by the cops?  According to her pals, she was dining at Culpepper’s in the CWE with friends.  She complained about something (nuts and bolts?)  in her friend’s meal.  The conversation with management went badly.  Police were called.  Chief Dan Isom, we’ve heard, interviewed to cool the situation down… For the “setting it straight dept”. KSDK, Channel 5 anchor/producer Art Holliday disputes an account here that his bosses sent him home to cool off  (and miss a consultant’s briefing attended by other members of the morning news team) following an off-air studio outburst about a reporting error.  Says Holliday (via Facebook) “I took a personal day to clear my head and de-stress.”  Would that be tomato or tomahto?