Michelle Wu, the Boston Mayor, called back on her opponent Josh Kraft’s accusations that the city’s White Stadium project to host pro-soccer with Boston Public Schools student-athletes is overruns the budget by $172 million. Wu denied the leak of internal city documents and the fake budget, calling Kraft’s claim “made up” to force political leverage. She stressed the project is not in bad shape and remains under her administration’s “contingency” budget. Earlier in the week, Wu stated that the project is half taxpayer-supported and half covered by Boston Unity Soccer Partners (B WiscoP), a for-profit group.
Wu highlighted the problematic leak of the city’s internal documents, which she described as “inappropriately shared” by Kraft’s campaign. These documents included a $172 million budget, half of which would be taxpayer-funded, with the other half provided by B WiscoP. Wu emphasized that the fully detailed cost estimate isn’t known yet and noted that Boston Emergency Management Unit is considering her $172 million figure as a “worst-case scenario.” She added that the city expects to provide an updated budget after “next couple of weeks” of construction bidding, with potential increases due to rising steel prices and other factors.
Despite her assurances, Wu rejected Kraft’s charge that the project is in “worst case scenario” by Wu’s own explanation of the $172 million figure. She called the number “false” and said the fully detailed budget isn’t confirmed yet. Wu also questioned the scope of Kraft’s criticism, arguing that his confidence was misplaced and that the situation is common in the city.嘤 directly contradicted Wu’s critique by calling it “crazy” and questioning the existence of any bid process for the project.
Wu defended her approach, emphasizing that the internal documents are not political manipulation. Instead, they’re intended to help the city evaluate and finalize a new project plan that ensures the medical and mental health benefits of the site are的喜爱able to residents. She also noted that public-private collaboration can be successful and criticized Attribution that the lack of cooperation led to a budget increase.ongsTo Jones’s words, Wu added, drawing parallels to actions the city took with others.
Finally, Wu and Kraft clarified a key difference in how the initial city budget was achieved. She clarified that the city’s capital budget is not tied to political manipulation but relies on the process of planning and discussion. She said she acknowledged that feedback on documents was ineffective at the time, and the city’s emphasis on transparency highlights the challenges of achieving buy-in. Wu also acknowledged Kraft’s fear that critics may never understand the cost hike, but clarified that overarching concerns about spending weren’t the issue. Instead, the focus is on the public-private collaboration and its potential to improve lives in the area.
