Barnett Named to Republican Convention City Panel
by January 24, 2014 9:05 am 217 views
The Republican National Committee has selected State Rep. Jonathan Barnett of Siloam Springs as a member of site selection committee for the 2016 Republican National Convention.
The eight members who make up the panel were named Friday. Former Congresswoman Enid Mickelsen of Utah was announced Tuesday as the panel chairman.
Party leaders are gathered in Washington to begin the process of selecting the city that will host the next presidential convention.
Cities have until late February to submit a preliminary request to be included on the participation ballot.
Barnett and other committee members will travel to those cities for site visits to determine which is most capable of hosting the national convention. The panel will make its recommendation to RNC chairman Reince Priebus early next year.
Several cities are expected to explore bids. In addition to Columbus, Las Vegas and Kansas City, Denver, Phoenix and New Orleans are considered the most serious contenders to earn the RNC nod, according to media reports, thus bringing millions of dollars of economic benefits to the selected city.
Barnett was elected by the GOP in June 2010 as national committeeman for the state Republican Party. He was an Arkansas delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2012.