Mayor Michelle Wu’s recent delay in disclosing the final taxpayer expenses of her administration’s public-private renovation of White Stadium was cited by Boston mayoral challenger Josh Kraft as proof that she is keeping that information secret until after the election.
Kraft stated on Wednesday that Wu’s most recent comments on the radio this week, in which she delayed the project’s final budget release from this summer to later this year, once all construction bids have been completed, are a sign of what he perceives to be the mayor’s lack of openness regarding the use of public funds for the renovation of the professional soccer stadium.
You understand what that entails. At a press conference he held at White Stadium in Franklin Park, Kraft stated that it means she won’t reveal these numbers until after the election. This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Michelle Wu has made an effort to minimize the project’s cost from the beginning.
By the end of last year, the city’s portion of the about $200 million investment had almost doubled, from $50 million to $91 million. The cost to taxpayers was estimated to reach $172 million, according to an internal municipal memo that Kraft disclosed last month. Wu accepted this possibility but at the time characterized it as the worst-case scenario.
Wu said last month that taxpayer expenses would probably surpass that $91 million amount and that the city will have a better idea of the ultimate budget once various construction-related items were put out to bid, which she said started this summer. In a radio interview earlier this month, she went into further detail about that schedule, stating that we should know in a few weeks.
Wu, however, retracted that schedule on Tuesday. The mayor stated that the market will determine costs and that the city will continue to issue construction bids this fall, but he did not provide an updated cost estimate. Wu would only state, “The bids should all be out the door later this calendar year,” when asked when the final costs would be determined.
Speaking to reporters following an unrelated campaign event she held at a downtown business on Wednesday, Wu defended her administration’s financial transparency regarding the plan thus far but refused to commit to releasing the final budget for the city’s taxpayer-funded half of the project before the November election.
Wu stated that all of the city’s actions are open to the public. Laws pertaining to transparency apply to us. Additionally, the numbers are accessible to the public after they are finalized.
Wu stated that the city has set the demolition budget at $5 million and that further expenses will be distributed as they become available. The final budget, or larger package, will also be issued this year once it is finalized in accordance with the procedure we employ for all city building projects.
According to Wu, this initiative has been more transparent than any other public undertaking.
In addition to a publicly available city leasing agreement with the National Women’s Soccer League club that will allow Boston Public Schools student-athletes to share usage of White Stadium, she cited public meetings that have been held.
According to Wu, the politics of this issue is actually creating a feeling that our communities are quite accustomed to. This stadium has been in disrepair for more than 40 years. Yes, we are investing public funds in a significant and expansive initiative. It has been discussed for forty years, but this is the first time that actual, tangible steps are being taken to make it a reality.
However, according to Kraft, the public monies allocated for the project would be better used for a number of crucial goals, including the construction of new homes, senior residential tax breaks, and public school renovation initiatives.
According to Kraft, Michelle Wu should no longer hide behind bid and procedure deadlines. Her lack of openness is totally intolerable.
Along with other project opponents, Kraft stated that he would create a stadium rehabilitation plan only for high schools and terminate the existing agreement with Boston Unity Soccer Partners, the owner of the new NWSL franchise, the Boston Legacy.
Kraft sought to draw attention to Wu’s alleged lack of financial transparency on White Stadium, but he was primarily barraged with inquiries from reporters over his own broken pledge to make his tax returns and financial statements public.
According to Kraft, his 2024 tax return has been extended. This means that, following the preliminary election in September, his IRS filing date is October 15.
When my financial information is ready and on my schedule, I will make it public, Kraft stated. I promised to do it, and I will.
Kraft, the son of billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, reaffirmed his comments when questioned why he would not reveal his 2023 tax return in the interim. He added, visibly frustrated, “If I say I’m going to do something, I do.”
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With just over a month until the preliminary election, Kraft was 30 points behind Wu in the most recent mayoral survey published by Suffolk University.
Wu, who demanded last week that Kraft submit his tax returns to disclose any financial interests or commercial entanglements, accused Kraft once more of attempting to conceal such information during her own press conference. In May, Wu gave the media access to her 2024 tax return.
Wu stated, “Kraft has only stated that we don’t listen enough and that he will listen more.” But who am I asking to listen to? Trump’s biggest backers, the Cleveland Browns’ owners, his business dealings and disputes with the Kraft Group, who want to construct a Revs stadium in Everett and refuse to provide the city of Boston with basic information about the project, and consultants who suggest that he conceal his tax returns even after months of assurances that they would be made public?
Our companies are not allowed to conceal their financial information.
