San Antonio Chamber of Commerce President Richard Perez, says he is disappointed that the San Antonio City Council has declined to pursue hosting the 2020 Republican National Convention, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"The evidence was very clear that having the convention come to San Antonio would have been an economic shot in the arm for us," Perez said.
City Council, in a controversial closed door session, decided Thursday not to pursue a bid for the convention, citing the cost of a bid, the need for additional security to deal with the likely street protests, and the inconvenience to the citizens of having roads closed for hours at a time to accommodate official motorcades.
Many asked what would be the benefit to the citizens of hosting the convention.But Perez says that benefit to the community would have been significant.
He says restaurants and hotels would have been packed, at a time of the year, in August, which is usually a slow time for the local hospitality industry.
Perez says, however, that San Antonio has plenty of opportunities for growth.
"We are so replete with opportunities in San Antonio that we move on," he said. "We can't look backwards, we have to look forward."