Grapevine

By PRISCILLA PAINTON/

HOME IS WHERE THE DEMS GO. He was reared there, and his old law school mentor is Governor of the state. No wonder Ronald Brown, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is leaning toward New York City as the site of the 1992 convention. The city has pledged to defray a larger amount of convention costs ($22 million) than its two rivals, Cleveland ($15 million) and New Orleans ($13 million), and its Democratic fund raisers have promised to help fill the coffers of the nominee. But Gotham's recent racial flare-ups have given pause even to some of the city's top Democrats. "Why do we need this?" asks one party pro.

With reporting by DAVID ELLIS