Ross to attend Democratic Convention

By Sandra Miller
for Back Bay Sun
City Councilor Michael Ross seems to be everywhere lately. Over the weekend, Ross drove to New Jersey to attend the wedding of his chief of staff, Reuben Kantor, then flew off to Denver for his first year as a delegate for the 45th Democratic National Convention in Denver, which began Monday.
Ross is among loads of other Mass Dem delegates that also include Mayor Menino, who is a superdelegate, Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, Gov. Deval Patrick, House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, US reps Michael Capuano and Barney Frank, Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, Suffolk Sheriff Andrea Cabral, State Auditor Joseph DeNucci, Secretary William Galvin, and Senate President Therese Murray.
Ross attended the 2004 Democratic Convention, which was here, but wasn’t a delegate. Instead, he said he wandered the convention hall and watched all the speeches. It was at that convention when Obama first made an impression upon him, and led him to be an early Obama supporter. “I was really inspired by him in 2004,” he said. “I was with him when there weren’t a lot of people with him.
“Obama is fresh and new, but that’s what this country needs. When you vote for established leaders, you get Bush and Cheney. Barack knows how to get around government. He knows the harsh reality of what people are dealing with, and barriers. He knows his way around classrooms and communities. He proved he can go to the Middle East and Europe. He’s invested.”
He’s looking forward to Barak Obama’s speech, as well as networking with other elected officials from around the country to “talk about some common issues.”
Ross will also be blogging about the convention at Boston Magazine’s “Boston Daily” blog (See Friday’s fun entry, about the two types of delegates at the convention.) “There will be five more during the convention, most a humorous behind-the-scenes look, as well as substantive issues once it’s under way.”