BUDGET CRUNCH "I'm a budget freak, and always knew this was going to be a tough fundraising year," Cino said. She has reduced paid staff and volunteers, sought out cheaper office space across downtown St. Paul and streamlined many operations. "You don't spend money you don't have," she said.
A HO-HUM ATTITIDE "I don't worry about the enthusiasm," Cino said, responding to the sense of muted interest in the GOP gathering in a tough year for the party. "We're turning people away, she said. "We'll have more here than we know what to do with."
FLYOVER COUNTRY "I know people will come here with low expectations," Cino said, acknowledging that Minnesota is not the most glamorous destination. "But to a person [the Twin Cities] will exceed those," she said. "It really is one of the best-kept secrets in the country."
