Mayor R.T. Rybak's turn at the podium in Charlotte comes tonight.
Rybak, a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, will address the DNC between 6:35 p.m. and 7:10 p.m. CST. The livestream will be available at StarTribune.com and YouTube.
Expect Rybak to touch on the Recovery Act's impact on Minneapolis, and emphasize how Obama administration policies have helped city coffers in the last four years.
The mayor's speaking slot is a rare platform on the national stage, and a speech at the 1948 DNC by one of Rybak's predecessors, Hubert Humphrey, instantly made him a Democratic leader, but Rybak won't be the most prominent mayor at the DNC. That honor goes to San Antonio mayor Julian Castro, who will deliver the keynote address soon after Rybak speaks Tuesday night.
Politico noted this morning that the more than half a dozen mayors speaking to the convention likely represent the future of the Democratic Party.
"We have achievement gaps, we have bridges and other pieces of infrastructure collapsing, we [are] trying to move forward increasingly diverse communities. We have to put police and firemen on the streets. All this in the midst of having dramatically less money," Rybak told Politico.
Other Minneapolitans may also make a splash at the DNC. State Sen. Scott Dibble tweeted a photo of himself yesterday speaking with the Daily Show's John Oliver.
Photo: Rybak addressing the South Dakota and Minnesota delegations in Charlotte Monday night (Credit: Jeff Wheeler)
