Thomas Michael Menino is the best mayor to have served the city of Boston in recent history.  When Menino made his announcement that he would not be running again, he left behind a twenty year legacy.  Menino has recently passed away at the ripe age of 71 from advanced cancer, but his memory will forever live through the city he so valiantly served. 

     

     Before Menino, and before Raymond Flynn (the mayor Menino succeeded) was a politician named Kevin White.  White was mayor from 1968-1984.  During his time, the city had many racial problems.  These racial problems affected mainly the school systems in black communities causing them to be treated very poorly.  These school systems would receive the leftovers of the richer white neighborhoods when it came to books, teachers, or quality of the buildings.  During his time, there were also many problems occurring in the area of Chinatown, known as the “Combat Zone”.  Crimes stemming from drinking and strip joints in the area became more and more frequent.  Flynn reacted to these crimes by placing larger amounts of police units in the area.  But did these actions truly solve the problem?     

     

     After White, was a man named Raymond Flynn.  Flynn served the city from 1984-1993 bringing a lot of business into the town of Boston.  Some businesses he brought in, others he muscled out.  He started cleaning up the bad neighborhoods, going through one at a time but never quite finished.  Bars and strip joints located in the “Combat Zone” started to close up.  Once they had one under age drinker or a DUI, that would be one strike and the place responsible would be closed down.  But Flynn’s work would need to be finished by Menino, and the “Combat Zone” would meet its demise.  

      

     Unlike White or Flynn, Menino didn’t just stop his city’s problems, he actually solved them.  During his time as mayor, Boston grew increasingly diverse. He made sure that schools were all treated the same.  There would be no difference in resources offered between white and black schools.  The books, the quality of both the teachers and the buildings, all became the same.  Also, many abandoned buildings throughout Boston were put to use by Menino.  The Ferdinand house, previously an abandoned furniture store, became an elegant headquarters for Boston’s public schools.  The rebirth of the South Boston waterfront was a major accomplishment, converting parking lots into buildings, condos, and nightspots.  He was the first mayor to actually to speak to the leaders of the smaller communities  that he watched over.  Whether these were religious or racial leaders, he listened to what they had to say.  In 2009, on his road to re-election he talked with Roxbury community leader and civil rights activist Sarah-Ann Shaw.   Any extra police or citizen watches needed to be used were immediately put into action.  Mayor Menino was the first mayor to truly recognize LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people.  He stopped attending Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade and breakfast in response to LGBT veterans not being able to walk in the parade.  These actions truly showed his ambitions for everyone to be treated equal no matter their sexual orientation or skin color. 

     

     Boston is not a perfect city. Progress was uneven in some neighborhoods and schools during Menino years, but the resources were provided equally and no one’s reign as mayor can truly be perfect.  This great man’s time in office is full of promises made and promises kept.  What more can you ask for?