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the city could reap $300 million in revenue when the Republican Party comes to town in July 2000. Philadelphia's big push to open 2,000 more hotel rooms in hopes of landing a national political convention in 2000 has paid off, as the Republican National Committee announced yesterday that the home of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall beat out four other finalists to host that year's GOP gathering. Although the national conventions have lost significance over the last several decades -- going from suspenseful, closely watched nominating events to scripted pageants without much network television coverage -- the economic implications of hosting a convention are still huge. The event, scheduled for the week of July 29, would cost about $35 million but is expected to bring in as much as $300 million in direct and indirect revenue to the city, officials estimated. At least 6,000 people, including delegates and their families -- in addition to more than 15,000 members of the news media -- are expected to descend upon Philadelphia. "I guess it's fair to say we're not a footnote between New York and Washington anymore," a jubilant Democratic Mayor Ed Rendell said at a City Hall press conference yesterday. Rendell, who cannot run for a third term next year, was wearing an elephant tie given to him by RNC Chairperson Jim Nicholson. Rendell cited the city's "beauty, accessibility and things to do" as the most prominent reasons why Philadelphia got the convention. In addition, Rendell had charged an economic-development group with making sure the city added enough hotel rooms to accommodate 30,000-plus visitors. The fact that the city is overwhelmingly Democratic -- it has not had a Republican mayor in 50 years -- did not seem to factor into the RNC's decision, although GOP City Councilman Thacher Longstreth admitted that "it's ironic we're getting this convention." The choice also has historical significance for the GOP, whose first convention was held in Philadelphia in 1856. The last time the city hosted any convention was in 1948, when both the Republicans and Democrats held their conventions in Philadelphia, nominating Thomas Dewey and Harry Truman, respectively. The Republican Party and the city must now negotiate a contract before the 165-member RNC votes to officially secure Philadelphia as the convention site. Rendell noted that the Republicans were originally planning to limit their list of potential sites to three yesterday, but they instead chose Philadelphia to preclude the Democrats from selecting it. Several news organizations reported that the Democratic National Committee was ready to announce that Los Angeles would host its 2000 convention. Officials at the DNC could not be reached for comment. The other four finalists for the GOP convention were Indianapolis, Ind.; New York; New Orleans and San Antonio, Texas. The convention itself will take place in the First Union Center in South Philadelphia, with other events held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City, according to Meryl Levitz, head of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism and Marketing Corp. The new Loews 600-room hotel in the PSFS building at 12th and Market streets will be the major hotel for the event, Levitz said. She added that she expects the new 256-room Inn at Penn in Sansom Common, scheduled to be completed in late 1999, to also aid in hosting visitors. Over the past few years, city officials have announced plans for a $245 million performing arts center, a $174 million entertainment complex at Penn's Landing and a $65.6 million makeover for Independence Hall, though none of these projects will be complete in time for the convention. Rendell praised the bipartisan effort to win the convention by himself and Republican Gov. Tom Ridge, who was easily reelected on Tuesday. Ridge is considered a possible vice-presidential candidate in 2000. "It's time we [Republicans] take our message to urban America and go into non-traditional areas," Ridge said. While the city has pledged $5 million and the state has pledged $7 million, Rendell said an additional $12 million to $15 million must be raised from businesses that have operations in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, which includes nearly every major U.S. corporation. Georges Perrier, owner of the world-renowned restaurant Le Bec-Fin on the 1500 block of Walnut Street, began a post-press-conference celebration by popping the cork off a magnum of champagne with a saber. "I have been living here for 52 years," Perrier said. "This is the best news ever since I've been here." The Associated Press contributed to this article.

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