As Gov. Terry Branstad pointed out Thursday during the official groundbreaking ceremony for the $100 million Iowa Events Center Hotel, “the ground’s pretty well broken.” Broken and dug to a considerable depth, as it turned out. But speeches had to be made about the significance of the project as Des Moines nurtures a reputation as a first-class city and, indeed, shovels of dirt were scooped in the shadow of a construction crane that towered above the hotel site at Fifth Avenue and Park Street. Bonnie Campbell, a former Iowa attorney general and nominated but not confirmed appointee to the federal bench, is one of those people who believe. She supports the project, and it’s a good thing. Polk County supervisors cast a unanimous vote May 3 to appoint her to a seat on the nonprofit Iowa Events Center Hotel Corp. that has been vacated by former Iowa insurance commissioner Susan Voss. Voss and Cynthia Eisenhauer have left the board, as was first reported by Civic Skinny. Eisenhauer is moving to Kansas City; Voss has a busy schedule, Polk County Administrator Mark Wandro said. Campbell, now a partner in LPCA Public Strategies, said the project is important to the city, even given that much of its financing is based for now on a multimillion-dollar backup from taxpayers in Des Moines and Polk County. “You just make investments that you know are wise, and over time they benefit the city. You have to have vision to keep things going,” she said.