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Boston '24 Group Eyes Transparency With Bid Release, But Gag Order Could Thwart Effort

Boston '24 yesterday released the group's bid documents in a "kickoff of a public relations campaign" by Mayor Martin Walsh and local Olympic planners to "build enthusiasm" for the city's shot to host the Games, according to a front-page piece by Arsenault & Levenson of the BOSTON GLOBE. About 600 people "showed up to a community meeting" where organizers "sought to stem criticism that they have been too tight-lipped about their plans." Organizers "repeated for the public the presentation organizers made to the USOC at a private meeting in California in December." Organizers "also released bid documents and budget plans, though they said they withheld details on potential land and venue costs to protect their negotiating position if Boston wins the Olympics." In what seemed like a "largely pro-Olympic audience, there was a smattering of applause when a Boston 2024 official read aloud a question from a Dorchester resident who wanted to know why residents weren’t consulted about the bid before it was filed." Boston '24 Partnership President Dan O’Connell pointed out that there "were legislative hearings at the State House, but said he offered 'my apologies' that the process had not been more open." 

DEAL DETAILS: Under current plans, Widett Circle "would be the temporary home to a 60,000-seat Olympic stadium, which would take about a year to build." The stadium "would be dismantled after the Games and the building materials recycled." Organizers said that the overall venue plan "is designed for spectators to get around on public transit and by foot, with 28 of 33 venues within about a six-mile radius." O'Connell said that the 16,000-person Olympic Village and the removable Olympic stadium "would be the most difficult to relocate because of their size." Details released yesterday "describe the role of the Convention and Exhibition Center, which will host six events in temporary facilities: rhythmic gymnastics, indoor volleyball, taekwondo, judo, wrestling, and table tennis." Each temporary adaptation to the building "would seat from 8,000 to 15,000 people" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/22). In Boston, Chris Cassidy reports the plans "rely heavily on Bay State universities." Archery "would take place in front of MIT’s Great Dome." Boston Univ.’s Agganis Arena "would host badminton and handball." Beacon Yards "would feature the aquatic center." Boston Common "would host beach volleyball and be the start of both cycling and the marathon, while Magazine Beach along the Charles River would hold the triathlon" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/22).

GAG REFLEX: In Boston, Michael Levenson cites city documents as showing that Walsh "signed a formal agreement" with the USOC that "bans city employees from criticizing Boston’s bid." The documents state the USOC and Walsh administration must "work cooperatively together to manage, complete, and promote" the city’s bid to the IOC. The documents add Boston city employees "shall each promote" the city’s bid "in a positive manner." But Walsh claims that no city workers "would be reprimanded or punished for voicing their opposition" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/22). A BOSTON GLOBE editorial states some prices "are not worth paying to host the 2024 Olympics in Boston, and weakening democracy by muzzling critics is one of them." The provision "raises questions about whether the Games are as reformed as their champions claim, and how else they might damage the city’s political culture before the bid process is complete." The city "can’t compromise its basic values just to host an Olympics, and it shouldn’t be expected to." The USOC "should release the city from the gag-order section of the agreement, and Walsh should explicitly promise not to retaliate against city employees who raise concerns about the Olympics or oppose them outright" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/22).

BEAN COUNTERS: In N.Y., Katharine Seelye cites a poll from Boston-based WBUR-FM as showing that a "bare majority of Bostonians" -- 50% -- "supported the bid while a third opposed it." This same poll showed that 75% of residents "want a referendum on whether the city should host the Olympics." Walsh, who had said that a referendum "was not necessary, responded that while he did not want a vote, he would not stand in the way of one." Still, the prospect of a vote "could chill the interest of the USOC in sticking with Boston." Some of Boston’s neighboring cities "are also expressing concerns about the enterprise." The Cambridge City Council, whose district would likely stage some of the Games' events, last month "passed a measure instructing its officials not to spend any time or resources on Olympic planning" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/22). In Boston, Erin Smith reports Boston '24 organizers "are opening the door to creating a new quasi-public agency to oversee development of a 60,000-seat Olympic stadium -- calling into question whether bid backers can keep their promise that taxpayer money won’t be used for the Summer Games." Quasi-publics "are typically financed at least in part by taxpayer funds or public resources." The backers behind the Boston Olympics have repeatedly denied that taxpayers "would foot the bill for the creation of a public authority." But the bid currently "doesn’t address how the city or state could cede public land and relocate current public facilitates without taxpayer money" (BOSTON HERALD, 1/22).

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