Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Steve Platt, president of the Carson City Democratic Central Committee, left, greets U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., as Comma Coffee owner June Joplin leads her around the shop on Wednesday. Democratic presidential candidates swept through Carson City on Wednesday for a forum and other campaign events.
Traffic problems were minimal, protesters were polite, and everything seemed to go according to plan.
"I think Carson City rocked," said Pam DuPre, spokeswoman for the Nevada Democratic Party. "Certainly, Carson City is on the map. I was listening to NPR News on the way home, and the forum was the second story on the newscast, right after Iraq."
It was difficult to find views to the contrary following the country's first major event of the 2008 presidential campaign.
Steve Platt, chairman of the Carson City Democratic Central Committee, said the city's "visual beauty" and residents' "enthusiasm and excitement for the political process" were what most impressed candidates and other visitors.
"I saw presidential candidates all over town," said "I think we better get used to this."
Candace Duncan, executive director of the Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau, said she was proud of how Carson City looked and how everyone behaved.
It went so smoothly, "it should bode well in the future for other events," she said.
Sheriff Kenny Furlong, who had extra people on duty, said they had little trouble throughout the day.
"I'm elated. We did fantastic from every angle," he said. "Even the protesters were cordial."
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Traffic flow along streets near the Carson City Community Center was expected to be "horrid," he said, but it wasn't. There were fewer calls for service citywide than on a normal day.
Even when Hillary wanted to stop off for a drink at Comma Coffee, "there were no glitches because this sort of thing was anticipated," Furlong said.
Those rave reviews have some believing presidential candidates may become a more common sight in Carson City.
"This is only 2007," Platt said. "It's a long time until we caucus and a long time until the election. This is only the beginning."
• Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.