Withdrawal of Boston Olympic Bid Disappoints Haverhill Volunteer

Greg Caliri of Haverhill during his first appearance on the Open Mike Show May 18.

A Haverhill man, who touted local benefits of hosting the Olympics to Boston, was disappointed by the quick unraveling of the plan Monday.

Boston’s bid died after Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh refused to guarantee taxpayers would cover any cost overruns and Gov. Charles D. Baker withheld his support pending a financial review. Greg Caliri told listeners of WHAV’s Open Mike Show Monday night he worked as a volunteer to promote what became known as Boston 2024.

“I have to be disappointed because I worked on this part time for the last seven months—six months—going to community meetings, going to volunteer. As a matter of fact, I want to thank everyone who came by when we had the Garibaldi run—the 5K run,” Caliri said.

He had previously noted hosting the Olympics in Boston would have filled local hotels, drawn visitors to the city and help pay for needed infrastructure improvements.

“Will things that have to get done, will they get done now without the deadline of 2024?” Those improvements would have included extending commuter rail to New Bedford, building new tennis courts, restoring Franklin Park, adding MBTA Red Line cars and extending the Green Line extension. He acknowledged, however, there were cost concerns.

“The number one thing is, are the taxpayers on the hook. That was the number one controversy of the entire thing.”

One thought on “Withdrawal of Boston Olympic Bid Disappoints Haverhill Volunteer

  1. If the Olympic Committee was so sure this boondoggle would be profitable, they would have had full disclosure early on in the process. What they didn’t want us to know until it was too late to back out, was that WE the taxpayers would be responsible for the incredible losses that could be expected. This taxpayer is VERY happy that this issue is closed.