“I will not sign a document that puts one dollar of taxpayers’ money on the line . . .” so stated Boston Mayor Martin Walsh as he refused to sign the host city contract for the 2024 Summer Games, putting a stake through the heart of this misguided plan. Sounds like Walsh did his due diligence, examining the proposal and studying the history of Olympic venues, and came to the conclusion that this was a bad deal for the city of Boston. (Boston Globe 7.27.15)
Anticipation that the bid could unravel had been building steadily for months, because of low public support. Over the weekend, the Globe reported that the USOC was pressing Walsh to guarantee that the city would be the final backstop for Olympic cost overruns or revenue shortfalls, which raised new questions about the long-term fate of the bid.
The Olympic committee tried to rush through an intentionally confusing mishmosh of insurance plans, but Walsh refused to let them run their agenda.
Boston 2024 developed an extensive insurance plan the committee claimed would protect taxpayers from a wide variety of risks. Walsh said the USOC did not allow him enough time to vet Boston 2024’s budgeting and the insurance plan.
These people are always in a hurry. Sign this contract, pass this bill, we’ll explain the details later.
Message to Mayor Elorza — Do you really want to be the last mayor in the entire United States to fall for the notorious stadium scam? Is the squandering of this site’s true economic potential — while laying waste to the beauty and scale of the riverfront cityscape — to be your enduring legacy? Do your due diligence, learn what other mayors have already figured out, and put the kibosh on the riverfront baseball stadium. Worcester and New Bedford have sent the PawSox ownership packing (ProJo 6.15.15) and so should we!
Mayor Elorza’s contact info: https://www.providenceri.com/mayor/contact or call 401.421.2489.
Also, write to your city council representatives.
http://council.providenceri.com/members