It’s been five months since Boston 2024 took center stage, yet it’s still hard to nail down whether members of Massachusetts Congressional delegation support Boston's bid to host the 2024 Olympics.
“A lot remains to be seen,” said Rep. Seth Moulton.
“I don’t quite know if it’s enough,” said Rep. Stephen Lynch.
“It’s been remarkable that the Olympic proposal has gotten this far,” said Rep. Richard Neal.
Moulton, Lynch, and Neal are the only three representatives who would talk with WGBH News on the record about the Olympics. And so far, they’re not giving any ringing endorsements. Still, each has a strong interest in better transportation or land use in their districts, so they do remain open to the idea. Moulton is even cautiously optimistic.
"We haven’t seen a very detailed bid," Moulton said. "I think the Olympics would be good for Boston in and of themselves. But more importantly this is really an historic opportunity to invest in the future of the city and the commonwealth. What I want to see is a serious infrastructure investment plan."
Moulton says he’s on board if the organizers follow through on promises to overhaul Boston-area transportation. Lynch is the true skeptic in the group. Most of the proposed Olympic venues are in his district, and he’s studying the plans carefully.
"The chatter was to put a 60,000 seat stadium and then dismantle it, put the land to some other use," Lynch said. "But I don’t think that’s feasible. I don’t think that’s realistic. Once you’ve got a 60,000 seat stadium you’ve got a 60,000 seat stadium.”
Lynch says he’s curious to see whether new leadership changes reported in the news, but not confirmed by Boston 2024, will alter public perception.
How folks in the western part of the state view the Olympic bid is still unclear. That’s Neal’s district, and he says he’s open-minded about the Olympics if it benefits all state taxpayers. He also wants the transportation plan to extend rail lines going west.
"There are some long-term opportunities here for the rest of the state, well beyond the city of Boston," he said.
Four members of the delegation — Reps. Bill Keating, Katherine Clark, Jim McGovern, and Sen. Ed Markey — had no comment at all. And four others — Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Niki Tsongas, Michael Capuano and Joe Kennedy III — sent written statements all essentially saying the Olympics sound exciting, but they still have a lot of questions.
“I’m not surprised," said Steve Kerrigan, a political consultant who worked for Sen. Edward Kennedy and helped run the Democratic Convention in Boston. "These are members of Congress who don’t really have a direct job responsibility related to Olympic activity. They’re going to weigh heavily when to speak out about this. They’ve got a lot of clout, a lot of power and influence. They don’t want to necessarily speak out early and get stuck owning a particular thing when the plans change."
But the delegation will have to seek support in Congress for federal security funding if the Olympic Games come to Boston. That’s already estimated at more than $1 billion, perhaps approaching $2 billion by 2024.
"This would the first U.S. Olympics post 9/11," Kerrigan said. "They're going to want to make sure it’s as secure as possible."
While there may be no uniformity on how the delegation currently feels about the Olympic bid, the senators and congressmen will have to collectively spring into action if the International Olympic Committee selects Boston in 2017.
