Posts tagged ‘menino’

December 11, 2013

The mayor and me

TC&TM

TM & TC

This website does not come with a lot of perks.  Actually none, until tonight.  Thanks to Emilee Ellison of the mayor’s office, I received an invitation to Mayor Menino’s annual, and final, holiday press party at the Parkman House.  Years ago, I landed in city hall as an aide to newly elected councilor Brian McLaughlin (District 9, Allston Brighton), the same moment Tom Menino became councilor for District 5 (Hyde Park Roslindale) and Ray Flynn took over as mayor from Kevin White.  City hall was entertaining, lots of characters.  I will never forget Dapper O’Neil dropping a Lugar pistol on my desk as he explicated his heroics during WWII.  Menino was lucky, in those days we referred to his district as Sleepy Hollow.

The party was fun, free drinks, great food, had fun schmoozing with the bartenders (another one of my jobs) and people I hadn’t seen since my city hall days.  And wow, the Parkman House looks amazing.

Above all, thanks to Mayor Menino.  Public service takes a toll, especially when you are responsible for a major city like Boston.  You cannot get away from the daily tough stuff, whether it is a shooting or a snow storm or the missed school bus pickup.  It is just there, and the mayor is there, and people look at him to blame, or fix it.  So thanks, and good luck to him and his wife Angela.

 

March 28, 2013

Menino’s most important win

The most important election Tom Menino ever won was capturing the office of City Council president in 1993. Later that year, he gained the mayor’s office when Ray Flynn resigned to become the US ambassador to the Vatican. It put him in a strong position for the special election that he won later that year. Of the twelve other councilors then serving, only Charles Yancey remains on the council. No doubt he is writing a congratulatory resolution saluting hizzoner right now. Jim Kelly, Dapper O’Neil, Bruce Bolling and Tony Crayton have passed on, while others are now retired, serve in other government postions or work in the private sector. Maura Hennigan ended up as Clerk Magistrate of Suffolk Superior Court after losing badly to Menino in 2005. Bob Travaglini progressed to president of the Massachusetts Senate. Rosaria Salerno settled in as city clerk after coming up short in her bid to become mayor in the same election that removed “acting” from Menino’s title. She is now retired.

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