Utahns' 'cheap seats' happily close to stars

BOSTON — Sometimes, it pays to sit in the cheap seats.

At least it did Tuesday night for Utah Democrats, whose spot at the top of the Fleet Center turned out to be the closest to members of the Kennedy family.

Members of the Democratic dynasty filled the seats in front of a luxury box just above the Utah delegation to hear Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy address the convention.

Even better than seeing Maria Shriver and a slew of other Kennedys young and old, however, was spotting one of their guests — Bono, the lead singer from the band U2.

Both Salt Lake County Councilman Joe Hatch and Gina Wickwar of Logan said being so close to the politically active superstar was the highlight of their day — if not the convention.

Glee on Duck Tour gets Utahn quoted in Globe

Gina Wickwar was quoted in the Boston Globe Wednesday, about the delegation's Boston Duck Tour earlier Tuesday. A reporter accompanied the group traveling in special vehicles that can travel on land and water, making note of their enthusiasm.

The newspaper said Wickwar explained the Utahns "delight at the aquatic sojourn" by saying, "We're landlocked, so this is a big deal."

The water portion of the trip included an escort by a pair of jet skis piloted by armed state police officers through a security "red zone" on the Charles River — standard practice for all the Duck Tours during the convention.

"It was all very friendly," Wickwar told the Deseret Morning News. "It wasn't like a besieged place."

Plant seeds for future, Gore aide recommends

Donna Brazile, who managed Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign, was in Utah last week to address the National Association of State Legislatures.

Brazile, attending the convention as a member of the Washington, D.C., delegation, had this advice for her counterparts from Utah, a state that gave just 26 percent of the vote to Gore four years ago. "The important thing is that there are 19 battleground states but the rest of the country is a battlefield," Brazile told the Deseret Morning News.

She isn't counting on Utah voters to push Kerry over the top this year but said the state's Democrats still have plenty of work to do.

"These Utah Democrats can go back and help elect congressional, gubernatorial" and other candidates on the party's ticket, she said. "If they can't deliver for the president, they can still plant the seeds for the future."