No Boston Olympics, the well-spoken opposition to Boston 2024, is viewed more than twice as favorably as the Boston 2024 bid itself, according to a recent WBUR poll. It's representative of the fact that they have proven themselves to be reasonable, yet logical.
Chris Dempsey, the co-chair of No Boston Olympics, has personified the measured, popular skepticism to a central concept pushed by Boston 2024: that hosting the Olympics would cement Boston's status as a "world-class city," especially for the innovation community.
"We believe that Boston is already a world-class city and is already very well known around the world for its innovation economy, the talent of its people, its history, its beauty, al of these things." Dempsey told BostInno in a recent interview. "The Olympics are not going to help with that."
The interview with Dempsey was for a film about the question of Boston 2024 for the upcoming event, State of Innovation. And full disclosure: Boston 2024 is one of BostInno's sponsors at the State of Innovation event.
Dempsey and No Boston Olympics have taken strong measures to outline why Boston 2024's plan is a risk for Massachusetts taxpayers and as a result, the innovation economy as well. They have organized an online petition for "rejecting a taxpayer guarantee" of Olympic costs should Boston 2024 get the bid.
And in a recent interview with The Boston Globe, Bain Capital head and Boston 2024 chairman Steve Pagliuca frankly admitted the risk invovled with hosting the Games.
"You can never say the risk is zero," Pagliuca told The Globe's Mark Arsenault.
Would the potential of a large amount of debt hovering over Boston be good for the startup community? After all, more Olympics have lost money in the end than not. And would the need for 100 percent private financing detract finite resources from other projects, possibly the innovation community?
"There is absolutely no evidence that hosting an Olympics drives further tourism in your economy," Dempsey concluded, "or leads to more business creation."
