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Mayor to Olympics opponents: You wanna hold a referendum? Knock yourselves out
By adamg on Tue, 01/20/2015 - 5:43pm
Mayor Walsh's office released the following statement tonight (posted here in its entirety):
Mayor Walsh is not in support of a referendum on the Olympics. He looks forward to engaging in a robust community process and having a two-way conversation with all neighborhoods as we move forward. Should the public decide to collect signatures for a referendum, that is a right of the people that the Mayor fully supports.
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Comments
Uhm, wouldn't it have to be a statewide ballot initiative?
It's gonna affect a lot more than just Boston....
Might take too long?
Just a guess. Of course, Cambridge, Brookline, et al could also hold referendums.
"Medford 2024," anyone?
Well
McGlynn would love the $$$ to control in the Mayor's Fund
There are rowing courses.
Hormel Stadium upgrade
Boat Club beach volley ball
...
Ghetto Meadow
They could finally put the ol Meadow Glen Mall out of its misery and level it for an Olympic site.. it is near Hormel.
Close for Budweiser too !
Close for Budweiser too !
The state will have to sign
The state will have to sign an agreement with IOC to cover cost overruns. I don't see that happening.
Walsh got some feedback on his statement that 'we're not going to have a referendum.' He sounded anti-democratic, so he fixed it by claiming he wont stand in the way.
The recent record on referendums is that big money wins; see casinos and killing bottle bill expansion.
Classic overreach
"The recent record on referendums is that big money wins; see casinos and killing bottle bill expansion."
I'm not alone in this. I have several plastic water bottles in my yard right now. I'd love to vote yes expanding the bottle bill to include them. Of course, the second part says that the state can raise the per-bottle rate. How much? Hmmmnnn...
So, no it goes. Sorry boys and girls, should have stopped at the first paragraph.
Casinos...heh. Read the bill. It would have banned out of state parimutuel betting on, well, out of state greyhound racing. Plainville has been worked on for a while, will be opening soon. But, the folks that really hate greyhound racing wanted to extend the ban to other states by banning the betting in Plainville.
So, no it goes. Sorry boys and girls, should have stopped at the first paragraph.
I think it has to be statewide
I don't think there's a local ballot referendum provision. The casinos were an exception - special legislation granted towns the right to vote on casinos - except Boston which voted only in the district that was to host the casino. That worked out well...not.
My guess is this has to be statewide - probably tough to get into 2015 - may end up being next year.
Palmer
I'm sure we would all love to know how the folks in Palmer feel about the Olympic disruption to their community. (sarcasm)
No. But...
They should get a say in whether any of their taxes will be used to fund the Olympics.
No
I would say every locality that stands to be left with a bill when the music stops should be able to veto what will wind up in their neighborhood.
A statewide vote would probably pass easily because NIMBY would be satisfied for the majority and they would not have a problem with Boston picking up the tab and dealing with the mess. Remember when the rest of the state decided rent control in Boston, Cambridge, and Brookline?
Message to Marty
I voted for you Marty. I live near you in Dorchester and I've met you. I dont support the Olympics and by the way I dont know ANYONE who wants the Olympics. You want a referendum for the Everett casino. I agree. But you are a total hypocrite for your stance against an Olympic referendum.
I will sign the anti Olympics petition when it comes, and I wont vote for you again.
2024 Olympic Referendum
I can't understand why Marty Walsh originally didn't want this issue put to a vote?
Because
Mahty does what's he told. Now, there's a good Mayah. Have a cookie and a security detail.
Connollyophile
resentment.
Hey, pal
I could care less about John Connolly.
Connolly
knows that.
In the last election of union
In the last election of union thuggery vs schools/OMFG THE CHILDREN, I picked unions and voted for Marty based purely on his Penguin Pizza appreciation, but has Connolly come out and said if he'd have done anything different with the Olympics (realistically)?
Payback
Marty has to pay back all the construction, police, and firefighter unions that backed him in the election and stand to rake in Olympic cash through contracts and overtime. I wouldn't expect him to leave it to chance if he can just push it through without a campaign.
Yup
Same reason why Menino didn't want a citywide casino referendum. Figured it would never pass but East Boston would be a lock.
I'm still laughing at the fact it failed even after all their hard work.
The only
Downside i see is Boston has a lot of yuppies and others that probably wont be here in 9 years because of their lack of ties to the city. However their registered to vote and and have every right too.
I hate the term yuppie
But do you actually think they are monolithic group that will up and leave in one group?
Two separate demographics
Two separate demographics that support it.
Yuppies move here for work and college kids move here for school. Two different visions of reality and a big difference on the transient nature of them.
Interesting
Do you have any information on mobility patterns? On which demographics migrate and which do not and in what numbers? It would be very interesting to see how this works demographically.
Some of those "yuppies" are actually "oupies" - people who are done raising kids and want to have the convenience and activity of the city now that their nest is empty. Boston is a big target for that - at least if you live with someone over 50 and get AARP magazines and believe what they print about elder migrations ...
Common sense dictates that
Common sense dictates that young professionals are are a highly itinerant group.
No it doesn't
Unless by "common sense" you mean "stupid things people make up."
Most people I know ,
Most people I know , whatever ies's you want to attach to them , want to migrate south. Again , you can't let a newsletter or newspaper do your thinking for you, even if it is AARP.
And then there are those of us
who are still a fair bit under 50, who meant to leave after school but who just didn't, for one reason or another. I'm assuming that I'm a non-itinerant Yuppie. Maybe I could call myself an "Inertial?"
In any event, after living in The City for quite some time, find myself in Somerville. Somerville has had no say in any of these dealings (though I think I saw that Mr Curtatone wouldn't mind hosting stuff nearby to the Malden River or something? Don't know). Why aren't we allowed a vote on something that is going to impact us so heavily?
(Edited to add: When I say, "for quite some time," should qualify: Come next September, I'll be here 28 years. Have lived in Boston Proper for 16 of that 28. Despite having moved here while a minor, am still considered an "outsider.")
Even if you keep living here until you turn 200,,,
... you will still be a mere interloper. ;-}
It's always the Yuppies...
I must be breaking all kinds of yuppie rules. If you're not a local you're a yuppie (at least that's the Southie way) but I've lived in Boston 15 years,10 in Southie (so more than 9) and I'm also against the Olympics. But yeah, definitely blame the yuppies. We're the worst.
Now THAT is what we call a
Now THAT is what we call a politician answer.
Robust Community Process?
That sounds like a joke to me. So far journalists have been able to peek at the actual bid, nothing more. And we're already deep into the bidding process. Not really a two way conversation.