GOP convention site selection committee visits Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City is trying to put its best foot forward Wednesday and today as officials try to persuade a Republican committee that the city should host the GOP's presidential nominating committee in 2016.

The Republican party site selection committee was scheduled to get a tour of the city to judge its ability to host the convention, which would attract an estimated 45,000 people and thousands of media.

The committee spent Monday and Tuesday in Cleveland and will travel to Dallas and Denver next week. A decision on which city will host the convention is expected late this summer.

Most of the committee's work in Kansas City will occur today, when members are scheduled to tour the Sprint Center, the Country Club Plaza and other city amenities, and then meet with city officials to discuss the bid. The visit will be capped by a reception tonight at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

In preparation, workers have cut weeds, repaired signs and picked up trash in the downtown areas, and welcoming billboards went up around the city, The Kansas City Star reported. Downtown businesses were asked to display welcoming signs with their lights at night.

The last political convention in Kansas City was in 1976, when Ronald Reagan unsuccessfully tried to oust President Gerald Ford. City officials plan to emphasize several changes since then, including a $6 billion downtown renovation anchored by the Sprint Center, where the convention would be held, and the Power and Light entertainment district across the street from the venue.

Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus has said local fundraising, security, hotel space and transportation are important factors in choosing a convention site, while the political climate of the state is less important.