No Boston Olympics, who have become one of the primary opposition voices against Boston 2024, have announced that they are organizing a second meeting in May. Set for May 18 at the NonProfit Center on South Street (full details below), it will be a chance for co-chairs Chris Dempsey, Kelly Gossett and Liam Kerr to speak directly to their supporters, as well as anyone else who is simply curious to hear what they have to say.
“We’ve been really wanting to get people back together like that. It’s just been such a hectic pace that we haven’t been able to really get out in front of it,” Dempsey explained to BostInno. “We’ve finally had a chance to kind of catch our breath.”
While the January meeting came in a formative time for the opposition voice against Boston’s Olympic bid, No Boston Olympics has since grown in their influence as the public has sided more with them than 2024 itself.
“We’ve helped to contribute to some real criticism and skepticism of the bid, and the polling has reflected that,” Dempsey said. Current numbers show that a majority oppose the bid.
As for the goal of the second meeting, the focus will remain partly on explaining the group’s background, while branching out further this time.
“We still will do a little bit about who we are,” Dempsey noted, “because we’re hoping that there will be new people there. People that are kind of curious.”
“We’ve never really had a chance to talk to our supporters about our own financial analysis of the bid,” Dempsey said, given that the bid documents were released after their first meeting in January. “I think it will help expose to our supporters, and whoever else is in the room, some of the real gaps and financial challenges with their bid that we didn’t really know or have access to in January.”
Ultimately, No Boston Olympics hopes to explain the bid better than their Boston 2024 counterparts.
“I think you’ll see from us a much more detailed analysis and presentation of Boston 2024’s bid than even Boston 2024 does in their meetings,” Dempsey explained.
Even if you’re a proponent of the bid, No Boston Olympics has proven to be a knowledgable and reasonable opposition. If you want to appreciate the full discussion about the Boston bid, this meeting is a great opportunity to learn more, regardless of opinion.
Meeting details:
Time: Monday, May 18 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Place: The NonProfit Center (Community Room), 89 South Street, Boston 02111
Sign up: RSVP here (it’s free)
