Has Denver bitten off more than it can chew?

DENVER - For a decade, city leaders here have wooed the Democrats, hoping to lure their national convention to this often-overlooked town and showcase its new public transit system, bustling downtown, and sweeping views of the Rocky Mountains.

Municipal leaders were jubilant when they won the right to be host to this year's event. But rather than putting Denver on the map, the convention is raising questions as to whether this perennial booster town has bitten off more than it can chew.

The host committee is as much as $10 million short in fund-raising, and financial difficulties have forced it to cancel two dozen parties around town for delegates.

Denver officials are scrambling to deal with the logistical challenges of Barack Obama's acceptance speech being held at an outdoor stadium instead of in the arena where the rest of the convention will occur.

Even special daisies that the city bred partly to show off for the convention are failing to sprout.

Criticism has been so harsh that earlier this month the host committee felt compelled to issue a news release defending its much-mocked catering guidelines, which recommend organic produce and color-coordinated meals, and discourage fried food.

"It's an embarrassment, particularly for the political class," said Floyd Ciruli, a former chairman of the state Democratic party who is now an independent pollster, unaffiliated with the convention.

Local political leaders and the host committee insist everything is fine.

"That's a little bit of white noise around the perimeter," Mayor John Hickenlooper said. "Did we ever dream we'd have a candidate of this historic magnitude? Did we ever dream we'd have a candidate who'd make his acceptance speech in front of 80,000 people and have to turn away another 80,000?"

Nonetheless, at a conference on Western issues last week, Hickenlooper referred to the event as the "blasted convention" and compared it to a summer he spent painting a house for which he was never paid.

Last month the host committee said it was $10 million short of its $40 million target.

Officials blame several factors: The drawn-out primary battle sapped would-be donors. The economic downturn has hit Denver hard because the city's relatively modest corporate base includes struggling companies such as Frontier Airlines, which is reorganizing under bankruptcy-law protection.

Business leaders say attention and money are being diverted by union-led ballot initiatives they are fighting, measures that they insist could destroy their livelihoods.

Tom Clark, executive vice president of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, said his organization was going to donate $250,000 to the convention but had to hold back $150,000 to fight the initiatives.

"There's a lot of calls on the money right now," he said.

But, calling Denver "an aspirational city," he added: "We will find the money and get it done."

In the last decade, Denver has built an immense airport, now the world's 11th busiest; it has revived its faded downtown, now speckled with restaurants, condos, and a new wing on its art museum designed by renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, and it has invested in a $6 billion project to build 119 miles of light rail in the region.

Denver competed unsuccessfully for the 2000 Democratic National Convention, which went to Los Angeles. The city was the sentimental favorite this year for a Democratic Party eager to highlight its new reach in the West.

Hickenlooper vowed the convention would be the most environmentally friendly one yet, with party sites abiding by "green" standards.

Problems swiftly surfaced.

The host committee was mocked after it told caterers they should make "every effort" to ensure that each plate consist of 70 percent organic food and 50 percent fruits and vegetables; include nothing fried; and contain at least three of these five colors: red, green, yellow, purple/blue and white.

The committee put out a defensive news release saying the guidelines were voluntary and fried food would still be available.

Ciruli said the convention probably will 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."