The convention will be held from July 18th to the 21st, earlier than the 2008 and 2012 events. The Republican National Committee said that’s to allow more time for fundraising.
Now that Cleveland knows exactly when to expect its many, many Republican guests, it also has a firm deadline as it prepares to put its best foot forward. The goal is to complete the renovation of Public Square and to build a pedestrian bridge linking downtown to the lakefront before the company shows up.
"This date is maybe what we expected, so we’re in good shape," said Jeremy Paris, head of the mayor’s Group Plan Commission, which is overseeing the projects. "The deadline of the RNC has been a helpful deadline to get everybody focused on, ‘It’s got to be done by that date,’ but we wouldn’t have been able to deliver it if we weren’t already on track to do it," he said.
A time frame as early as late June had been discussed for the convention, but LeBron James’ return to Cleveland makes it more likely the Cavs could make the NBA playoffs. Scheduling the event a few weeks later in July eases the potential for conflict over the use of Quicken Loans Arena.