Dear friends, Unlike Boston 2024, we don’t have $25,000 on hand to spend on a full page ad in the Boston Globe. But we wanted to share our commitments, principles, and goals with you. *** (1) That our city planning should be done for and by the people, not by unelected CEOs and the IOC (2) That our infrastructure investments should be focused on the needs of those who live and work here, not the needs of the IOC (3) That housing, health care, education, and environmental prot

The Secrets Boomerang on Games Organizers (Boston Globe) “If patronage was an Olympic sport, Boston 2024 would get the gold.” United Independent Party’s Evan Falchuk on the Quest for a Statewide Olympic Ballot Referendum (WGBH News) How Olympic Games Transform Urban Space (Storify) My Storified tweets from the lecture last night BRA Approves New Columbia Point Building That Olympic Organizers Would Want to Tear Down for Athlete Housing (Dorchester Reporter) Episode 410 with R

Can a Host Country Make Money on the Olympics or the World Cup? (The Brian Lehrer Show) No. Editorial: Many Questions Remain Over Prospect of Boston 2024 Olympics (Worcester Telegram) How Does Boston 2024 Pay Stack Up? (Boston.com) Behind the Push to Keep the Olympics out of Boston (The Scrum) Have Sports Become “Too Big to Fail”? (Only a Game) Rich Davey Insists Pols, Lobbyists Won’t Chase Public Funds (Boston Herald) Sure… Boston 2024 Hires Defended (Boston Herald) Olympic

Slow news week so far on this front… Why, Exactly, Does Boston Want the Olympics Again? (Washington Post) Opposition Surfacing to Boston 2024 Olympics (The Recorder) Boston Business Community Needs to Reflect New Economy (Boston Globe) #Activism #AndrewZimbalist #JohnFish

It may be snowy outside, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t bring some sunshine to Boston 2024. The Boston Globe reported yesterday that Representative Mike Moran (D-Brighton) and Representative Aaron Michlewitz (D-North End) just filed legislation to impose financial disclosure requirements on all public and private expenditures associated with the 2024 Olympics. Here’s how the Globe described the bill: The bill, due to be filed Wednesday and already discussed with legislat

Pol Calls for Hearings on Olympics Transportation Plans (Boston Herald) Pol is Bob Hedlund. Olympic Committee Drops Plans for Housing Spectators (Boston Globe) Boston Goes for the Cold! (Boston Globe) A sendup of the Olympic bid What’s the Boston 2024 Price Tag? (NECN) Atkins Speaks Out on Olympics Plan (Wicked Local – Concord) Rep. Cory Atkins, who was involved with the process and is a cheerleader for Boston 2024: “I didn’t see the plans beforehand because we’re in such dee

A slow day given the blizzard. Five Reasons Boston is a Poor Fit for the 2024 Olympics (RTT News) Tarr Bill Requires Legislative Approval of Olympics Bid (Daily News of Newburyport) Sad that Republicans, not liberal Democrats, have been taking the leadership on this. The latter have been silent or supportive. Changing Boston’s Map, Olympics Style (Boston Globe) The Globe mocks Boston 2024’s invention of neighborhood names. Boston Hosting the Olympics Would Be an Epic Fail (Ma

Opponents Weigh Referendum on Boston’s 2024 Olympics Bid (WBUR) 2024 Boston Olympics? Let the Lawsuits Begin (MetroWest Daily News) US Should Foot Part of the Bill for Olympics (Boston Globe) Globe Editorial Board calling for use of public funds. Don’t worry, I’m sure Boston 2024 is already lobbying for that. Knucklehead of the Week: Boston Mayor Marty Walsh (San Francisco Chronicle) Falchuk Looking to Grow Independent Party, Reject Olympics (iBerkshires.com) 2024: The Year o

‘This Will Unite Left and Right': The Bostonians Who Want to Bring Down the Olympics (Guardian) Olympics Bid Will Be a Political Campaign Like No Other (Boston Globe) Poll Finds Lukewarm Support in Boston for Summer Olympics Bid (NYT) Always pay attention to the cross-tabs. Although support was greater than opposition (50% to 33%), 44% said that they would be less likely to support the bid if public funding were used, and 75% want to have a vote on it. Also note that people h

It’s been over a week since the USOC chose Boston as its bidding city for the 2024 Olympics, and Boston 2024 has yet to release the full bid (and has no plans to do so). Mayor Marty Walsh has repeatedly expressed his opposition to a referendum on hosting the Olympics, setting a dangerous precedent for anti-democratic decision-making. Our elected officials have, for the most part, displayed either boosterism or silence. That means we need to make our voices heard. It’s time to