In a shocking turn of events, John Fish, the Chairman of the Boston 2024 Olympic bid, announced in an address to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday morning that a 2016 referendum will be sought to vote on the possibility of bringing the games to Massachusetts. According to multiple reports, Fish not only said that the bid itself will seek a public vote, but will collect the signatures necessary to get a question on the ballot for 2016.

The idea of a public vote was hinted at on Monday, but Fish has taken the move much farther, clearly in a response to the widespread (and not unjustified) criticism of the 2024 bid for its lack of transparency. Notably, Fish mentioned that even if the state as a whole approved of the bid in a majority, but the city of Boston itself did not, there will be no bid.

Before the Tuesday announcement, there was little in the way of public backing for a referendum, with Mayor Walsh saying that he didn’t think it was necessary.

Here’s the official statement from Boston Mayor Marty Walsh on the Olympic referendum:

Hosting the Olympic Games presents an opportunity to envision and build together the next chapter in Boston’s history. The success of our bid for the Olympics depends on the support of residents and we should only move forward in a way that will bring the greatest benefit to the City and its neighborhoods. Over the next year, I encourage residents to engage in a conversation to learn more about what the Olympics could mean for Boston and the entire Commonwealth, and to put forward any suggestions or concerns. The Olympics offers a catalyst to unlocking our full potential and only through collaboration can we take advantage of this chance to elevate Boston to new heights.

Additionally, here’s the statement from No Boston Olympics:

This morning Boston2024 announced it intends to place a referendum question on the 2016 statewide ballot. No Boston Olympics has always supported providing voters with a voice on the bid, and we are glad to see 2024 embrace that idea after months of rejecting it. The ballot language itself now becomes incredibly important. We hope to work constructively with Boston2024 to craft language that accurately and fully reflects the difficult choice now facing our Commonwealth. We need to ask voters if taxpayers should be on the hook if things don’t go according to Boston2024’s plan.

In recent polling, Boston 2024 carried only 36 percent in favor of hosting the Games, down for two consecutive months, according to WBUR’s results.

Also of note is that the German city of Hamburg, who Boston will potentially compete with for the 2024 bid to host the Summer Olympics, will themselves reportedly have a referendum on whether or not to pursue the IOC endorsement. At a recent community meeting regarding Boston 2024, this struck a nerve with a Cambridge resident, who notably posited “Why are they doing democracy better than us?”

Clearly, John Fish and Boston 2024 have heard the message. Much remains to be seen on the referendum front, and it is far from a done deal that the vote will happen. It’s a lengthy process to get a question on the ballot, and 2016 will mean that the bid has to be declared officially before that time.

Still, it’s a step in the right direction for the large demographic in the state who previously thought no one would listen to their voice.

And they will apparently collect the signatures to get a ballot question.
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