Brooklyn Bummer: Democrats settle on Philadelphia as site of 2016 convention

February 12, 2015 By Jonathan Lemire Associated Press

Barclays Center was not chosen to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Eagle file photo by Mary Frost

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Mayor Bill de Blasio’s strong push to bring the 2016 Democratic National Convention to Brooklyn is coming up short.

The Democratic party chose Thursday to award the presidential nominating convention to Philadelphia.

Brooklyn and Columbus, Ohio were the other finalists.

“You have to dream big to be big, and no one dreams bigger than Brooklyn,” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said in a statement. “Our pursuit of hosting the 2016 Democratic National Convention was a valiant pursuit that made us stronger and more united as a borough. Through this process, we have strengthened our world-class infrastructure and logistical capacity to stage high-profile events like the MTV Video Music Awards and NBA All-Star Weekend. Brooklynites also benefitted from the national platform to tell our story of diversity, innovation and resilience, a story that makes us the most vibrant place on the planet. Instead of a cutting-edge choice that would be a nod to the Democratic Party’s future, the pick was made for a safe site that hearkens more to its past. I can assure our nation that Brooklyn will have a pivotal role in electing our next president, and that we look forward to welcoming the world to our borough for the big things we have to come.”

De Blasio, a Democrat, said Thursday that Brooklyn’s recent comeback is “American’s greatest urban success story.” He says it would have been a great convention site.

He’d envisioned it as a coronation for Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democrats’ frontrunner if she chooses to run.

De Blasio once worked for Clinton, who makes her home in New York’s suburbs.

If Brooklyn had been chosen, the convention would have been centered at the Barclays Center, home of the NBA’s Nets.

It would have been the first New York-based convention outside of Manhattan.