Boston Residents Debate Olympic Bid at First Public Meeting

(ATR) Citizens flocked to Suffolk Law School in Boston for a public debate about the Boston 2024 bid with Mayor Marty Walsh and bid leaders.

The Boston Globe reported that over 300 people attended the meeting, with many more watching via television screens in overflow rooms.

Opposition group "No Boston Olympics" had a strong presence at the meeting, with residents handing out signs bearing the group’s name and "Better Transit: No Olympic Games."

BostInno reporter Hayden Bird told Around the Rings that the discussion in the meeting was "spirited."

"[It's] tough to declare a majority," Bird told ATR.

"[There] definitely is a vocal opposition, but clearly some pro-Boston 2024 folks, too."

Questions over necessity for the Olympics to upgrade transit, and the ever-looming possibility of a referendum dominated the questions, according to Boston Magazine.

Boston city councilor Josh Zakim is preparing four non-binding ballot questions regarding the Olympics to be voted on this November.

"If in a referendum, Bostonians vote to say no to this, would it stop it?" one resident asked the mayor as reported by the Boston Globe.

Mayor Walsh responded saying how the referendum is run matters most about it.

"If it’s a binding referendum and the voters say no, it’s binding and it’s done," Walsh told the Boston Globe."If it’s not binding, that’s a different story."

John Fish, chairman of Boston 2024 emphasized that the Olympic project was aimed to help the city decades down the line.

Fish said, as reported by Boston Magazine, that "no taxpayer money whatsoever" would be used on venues for the Olympics.

The next public meeting hosted by Mayor Walsh is on Feb. 24 at the Condon School Cafeteria in South Boston.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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