Local delegates prepare for the Democratic National Convention

UPDATED: Pennsylvania delegates and public officials are getting ready for the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter discussed Pennsylvania’s role at the DNC during a press conference today.

Both Congresswoman Schwartz and Mayor Michael Nutter are scheduled to speak during the three-day convention, but neither would reveal what day or time each would be speaking at the event. 

Schwartz said she was instructed by the Democratic National Committee not to answer questions about the schedule of speakers for the convention.

WHYY’s Tom MacDonald will have more information shortly about the press conference. 

Eleanor Dezzi, a seven-time local delegate told WHYY’s Elizabeth Fiedler that the DNC is a time to unite with delegates from all over Pennsylvania.

Dezzi said, ” . . . you get to see some of the issues that we might not think of here in Philadelphia — like agriculture and now the fracking . . . we hear the concerns of other parts of Pennsylvania and we realize what a diverse state we live in.”

The Democratic National Convention officially begins, Tuesday, September 4.