Many but not all of the Republican National Convention delegates inside The Q just spent four days in Cleveland loudly voicing their love for their nominee, Donald Trump, and his version of America on the ropes. But outside The Q, convention-goers were more unified. And what united them? Cleveland.

Cleveland threw the party of a lifetime for four days this week. The city looked spectacular, so spectacular that even miles of concrete barricades, chain-link fences, imposing vehicular barriers, raucous protesters and street scenes in which armed law enforcement officers seemed to dominate the landscape couldn’t — and didn’t — detract from the inviting, party atmosphere.

Yes, the weather helped, with mostly balmy, sunny days. The worst of the searing heat and humidity waited until delegates were boarding their airplanes.

But the success of the RNC in CLE was a human endeavor that featured Mayor Frank Jackson and city safety forces leadership staying engaged and on top of events; a Cleveland police department that has come a long way in a short period of time in embracing new styles of community policing; civic and business leaders who put aside their sometimes sniping ways to come together for the good of Cleveland, to make sure that planning was seamless; and average Clevelanders, who turned up the Midwest charm and hospitality to wow 50,000 visitors from all over the country and the world…

 

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer