In explosive book on Biden health coverup, two Mass pols do the right thing | Wu's number games on stadium mega project |

Healey, Moulton get prominent mentions in new political blockbuster, “Original Sin” | Join Contrarian Boston on June 26 as we delve into the future of offshore wind and the Bay State’s energy crisis | Wu playing number games with soccer stadium mega project? | Local news giant Gannett sheds half its value in just six years |

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Hiding the costs? Wu administration downplays soccer stadium costs with some balance sheet juggling as city’s share of the mega project allegedly crosses the $170 million mark, document shows

Is Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and her administration playing number games when it comes to the cost to city taxpayers of her soccer stadium mega project?

A review by Contrarian Boston of an internal cost estimate - leaked by City Hall insiders - suggests there’s reason to be concerned.

On Monday, mayoral challenger Josh Kraft blasted Wu’s management of plans to build a pro soccer stadium and school sports complex in historic Franklin Park on the site of the old - and recently demolished - White Stadium.

Citing that previously secret cost estimate, Kraft argued the city’s share of the stadium project, which will include new school athletic facilities, is poised to surge past the $170 million mark, up from a previous estimate of $91 million and an earlier one before that of $50 million.

Soccer stadium planned for Franklin Park

The project is a joint venture between the city and high-powered local investors looking to bring a women’s pro soccer team to the Hub, with Boston Unity Soccer Partners having pledged more than $100 million towards its share of the project.

The leaked stadium project budget document pegs the city’s share of construction costs at $83 million, while somewhat suspiciously breaking out a whole series of charges that arguably should be included in that line item.

Projected construction cost inflation on the project is listed as a separate item totaling nearly $20 million, rather than being included with the overall construction cost estimate.

Ditto for general conditions, which refers to equipment and management costs, pegged at $8.5 million; profit and overhead, listed at $14.1 million; a $10.8 contingency fund for potential design issues; and $2 million for bonds and insurance.

Oh yeah, a $9.2 million design fee and another $3 million for interior design were also broken out as separate items, rather than being included in overall construction costs.

Maybe there are legitimate reasons for separating all these line items, but it sure makes the cost of actually building the stadium and school sports complex look dramatically lower than it otherwise would.

Here’s the other thing: Given the increase in the city’s costs, the total price tag for the new stadium and school sports project may now exceed $280 million, up from $200 million now, and $100 million before that.

Sense a pattern here?

“If you say you are a transparent leader who is accountable to the taxpayer, you need to act like one,” Kraft said at a Monday morning campaign press event attacking Wu’s handling of the White Stadium redevelopment. “The public deserves answers.”

In reviewing the project budget document, Contrarian Boston reached out to construction experts.

The big question? Whether the estimate, which isn’t dated, is current and if it still reflects current cost projections, one construction executive told Contrarian Boston.

A spokesperson for the mayor’s press office offered a strong, though not exactly categorical, denial of the numbers in the estimate.

“The City does not recognize this document,” the city spokesperson said. “The figures in it are not representative of any cost estimates related to the planned renovation of White Stadium.”

Contrarian Boston requested a detailed breakdown of the current estimate for the city’s share of the stadium/school sports complex, including all contingencies and design work, but did not receive a response by our deadline.

Healey’s star turn: Mass. governor comes out smelling like roses in controversial new book on the Biden health coverup “Original Sin”

Biden’s inner circle takes a beating - and then some - in the tell-all tome by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson.

A small group of long-time Biden aides and family members spent the last two years of his presidency attempting to shield the aging president – and his rapidly declining cognitive capabilities – from press and public scrutiny, the book contends.

Enter Gov. Maura Healey. In a book about one of the more shocking cover-ups in American history, Healey comes across as a truth teller determined to break through the bubble around Biden and gently push the president to end his reelection bid in the wake of his catastrophic debate performance last June.