Meeting News - November 19, 2007 - (Page 18) CVBs La Raza Nixes Kansas City Controversy over hiring of a city official with ties to purported militia group ends in estimated $7-million loss for the city La Raza attendees won’t be headed to downtown Kansas City. Kansas City—The National Council of La Raza, the national Hispanic civil rights organization that had committed its 2009 annual convention to Kansas City, has officially pulled the event out of the city over the appointment of Frances Semler to the city’s parks board. Semler is a member of the Arizona-based Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, a group that reportedly has white supremacist activities and is known for its practice of patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border— sometimes armed. Mayor Mark Funkhouser had met with local Hispanic leaders and a federal mediator to find a compromise that would have kept the program in the city. Efforts petered out late last month, resulting in NCLR’s decision. Both sides agreed not to discuss the decision. Monica Lozano, NCLR’s board chairwoman and a Kansas City local, said in an official statement: “Our decision is a clear expression of support for Kansas City’s Hispanic community. An active member of the Minutemen should not be an official for a city that purports to believe in diversity.” The Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association had provided services to the NCLR group. Losing the 2009 convention could turn out to be a $5-million to $7-million rev- Edited by Elizabeth West elizabeth.west@nielsen.com enue loss for Kansas City. “We had worked actively on the bid to secure the business, and assisted [La Raza] in sourcing properties,” said a CVA spokesperson. “Obviously, this opens up a gap for us in 2009, but we are trying to focus on all the great developments going on here and working aggressively to replace the business.” Kansas City is slated to open its Power & Light convention district next spring, as part of a $7-billion downtown renaissance that has included convention center upgrades. “Planners are showing a lot of interest,” said the spokesperson. “We have a lot of good leads.” La Raza will take a financial hit, too. The group must pay Kansas City hotels $75,000 for not filling its room blocks. 18 MeetingNews November 19, 2007 www.meetingnews.com http://www.meetonhiltonhead.com http://www.meetonhiltonhead.com http://www.meetingnews.com
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