Since taking over as CEO of the Host Committee for the Tampa Republican National Convention, Ken Jones has been extremely circumspect when asked how fundraising is going for the August 2012 event.
And with less than a month to go before the main event happens, he's not changing his tune now.
One of the main goals for the Host Committee is raising approximately $55 million in private funds to stage the convention. That's separate from the $18 million of federal taxpayers money that goes to the Committee on Arrangements that also is working on the convention, and separate from the $50 million in federal funding that has come to Tampa for security for the four-day event (Recently Congress voted to cut the $18 million that comes from the Federal Election Commission. But $100 million for security for the two party conventions remains in place).
At a news conference on Tuesday, Jones bristled somewhat when asked if there was any possibility that the $55 million goal would not be met. "We're going to meet the goal. I'm not concerned that we're not going to meet the goal, so for me to engage in speculation about 'what if we don't meet this goal – what do we cut, what do we not do,' it's just not something we're going to talk about because we are going to meet the goal."
Jones said the Committee has met every previous benchmark since fundraising began for the convention going back over the past two years.
This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 1, 2012.
