As fundraising for the convention comes up short, some Democrats blame Jim Rogers

John W. Adkisson/BLOOMBERG - Many had hoped that Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers would be able to leverage his local credibility and national business connections to bring in millions of dollars for the Democratic National Convention, but he has been too distracted by his company’s merger and a corporate controversy to devote sufficient time to the convention.

By Peter Wallsten, Wednesday, July 11, 8:20 AM The Washington Post

The Democratic National Convention, a three-day extravaganza in Charlotte designed to celebrate President Obama and boost his reelection campaign, is falling short of its fundraising goals.
So with less than two months left before the kickoff and people with knowledge of the operation saying that just over half of the money needed has been collected, some are starting to cast blame. Those fingers are being pointed at the business executive long seen as the convention’s greatest potential rainmaker.

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Many had hoped that Jim Rogers, chief executive of Duke Energy, the giant utility headquartered in downtown Charlotte, would be able to leverage his local credibility and national business connections to bring in the tens of millions of dollars needed to put on the event in early September.
Instead, several people with close working knowledge of convention planning said this week that Rogers, consumed with his company’s $26 billion merger with Progress Energy and an ensuing corporate controversy, has been too distracted to devote sufficient time to the convention.
A spokesman for Rogers, Tom Williams, dismissed the criticism. Williams said Tuesday that Rogers has put in a substantial effort, hiring a fundraising aide on his personal dime and enlisting former president Bill Clinton to headline events.
The Duke-Progress merger won approval by North Carolina regulators last week but immediately drew more scrutiny when a mysterious chief executive shuffle put Rogers, who was thought to be close to retirement, back in charge of the new energy behemoth.
The sudden change prompted regulators and the state’s attorney general to launch investigations, and Rogers spent much of Tuesday afternoon in Raleigh being grilled by the state utility commission about the merger.
Rogers’s convention critics requested anonymity in order to discuss sensitive internal discussions. They said in interviews this week that Rogers’s focus on the Duke-Progress deal in recent months had left a void in the top ranks of the Charlotte host committee, the group tasked with raising the event’s $36.65 million price tag.
That, according to the sources, has added to the burden on other less-well-connected local leaders, including the city’s young mayor, Anthony Foxx, to try and make up the difference.
Williams said that Rogers had moved early to secure $10 million to $11 million in corporate contributions, which were directed into a separate account being used to produce a Labor Day street festival and other activities designed to promote the city, and has also raised “substantial” sums for the main convention event. “He’s doing what he can when he can,” Williams said.
Still, Williams added: “He’s also committed to Duke Energy. That’s his number one priority, as it always has been.”
Convention officials declined to comment on fundraising specifics beyond saying that fundraising is “on track.”
But several people familiar with the internal discussions say the host committee has raised about $20 million so far, about $16 million short of the goal for convention expenses. If the rest is not raised, Obama’s cash-strapped campaign might be forced to cut a large check to cover the difference.