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Read the press release here.

City's Bid for 2016 DNC Now Includes $20M and Help from Anna Wintour

 DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz will tour the Barclays Center Friday as the decision of whether or not Brooklyn will host the 2016 presidential convention draws nearer.
DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz will tour the Barclays Center Friday as the decision of whether or not Brooklyn will host the 2016 presidential convention draws nearer.
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DNAinfo/Jeff Mays

BROOKLYN — The day before a visit from the Democratic National Committee chairwoman, the city announced some serious cash and star power behind its bid to host next year’s presidential convention at the Barclays Center.

Fashion industry icon Anna Wintour and Napster creator Sean Parker are among 10 leaders chosen to fundraise, organize events and coordinate with the DNC as part of the 119-person “hosting committee” to prepare for the 2016 event, the mayor’s office said Thursday.

So far, the city has raised $20 million  $6.5 million of which is cash on hand  to prepare for the convention, if the city is chosen to host it. The majority of that money would be spent on security, sources said.

DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz will visit the city Friday to discuss New York’s bid, a spokeswoman for the DNC said Thursday.

A tour of the Barclays Center, city hotels and infrastructure are on her itinerary, sources said. Earlier in the week, Wasserman Schultz visited Columbus, Ohio, and Philadelphia, the other two cities besides Brooklyn chosen as finalists to host the convention.

A final decision about the host city is expected in the next week or two, sources said.

Residents and businesses are making their voices heard about the possibility of a convention in Brooklyn.

This week, the owner of Prospect Heights bar Woodwork, the Park Slope Fifth Avenue B.I.D. director and the president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership wrote letters in support of the event published in The New York Times in response to an op-ed critical of the DNC by local blogger Norman Oder.

Last week, five civic groups in the immediate area of the arena formed a coalition to ask the city and mayor to reduce the impact of a possible DNC in the borough.

To see the complete list of DNC host committee members, check out the mayor’s announcement here.