Perhaps buried under the recent torrent of snow and weather news coverage was the fact that Mayor Marty Walsh sat down with No Boston Olympics, the vocal organization opposed to hosting the 2024 Games, to discuss the city’s ongoing efforts to give Boston host city status.
Neither No Boston Olympics nor the mayor’s office seemed willing to go into details about what topics were brought up, but both contend it was the first of hopefully many steps in the right direction for public involvement.
In fact, many of the details surrounding the meeting are shrouded in mystery.
Chris Dempsey was joined by No Boston Olympics co-chairs Kelley Gossett and Liam Kerr, though it’s unclear who from City Hall or Boston 2024 joined the mayor. Dempsey was not willing to comment on that fact.
“The Mayor had a thoughtful conversation about the future of Boston this afternoon, and looks forward to continuing to engage with this group, and any others who care about how we create a stronger Boston,” said Mayor Walsh’s press secretary, Bonnie McGilpin.
BostInno asked for more particulars but have yet to receive a response.
The meeting, Dempsey said, lasted about an hour.
“It was a good introductory meeting, and we established a lot of common ground with Mayor Walsh on goals such as protecting taxpayers and not letting Boston 2024’s bid distract from more important issues,” said Dempsey. “The Mayor committed to future meetings with No Boston Olympics, and we look forward to digging into the details at those meetings.”
No Boston Olympics has been advocating against hosting the Games in Boston but if positive sentiment grows among the public, will push for more governmental transparency and strongly discourage burdening taxpayers with any additional costs.
They’ve hosted one community engagement meeting so far, as has the City of Boston (which has eight others scheduled throughout the year) during which Dempsey floated the estimate that a Boston Olympics would cost Bay Staters an average of $2,000 per person.
On Wednesday, the Boston Globe reported that state lawmakers will file a bill that would grant legislators Olympics oversight, including financial details.
Interestingly, Mayor Walsh, whose administration has boasted transparency since day one, doesn’t want Beacon Hill breathing down his neck.
“I don’t need legislation to explain to me how important it is to have transparency,” Mayor Walsh told the Globe. “If we need legislation to have transparency, then we should just forgo the bid altogether.”
It comes as no surprise, then, that No Boston Olympics wants more from City Hall and expects them to be more inclusive as it pertains to the entire process.
“We have many specific concerns about Boston 2024’s bid that have yet to be discussed,” Dempsey said.
