In a speech by turns sentimental and unabashedly bullish, Mayor Thomas M. Menino returned to the public stage Tuesday night after a lengthy illness and offered a buoyant vision of Boston, celebrating accomplishments and outlining initiatives for the future.
Menino entered Faneuil Hall to thunderous applause from a crowd of 800 that included Governor Deval Patrick, members of Congress, and scores of other elected officials and dignitaries gathered for the mayor’s State of the City address. Waving to the audience, Menino — serenaded by a Kelly Clarkson pop anthem with the lyric, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” — used a cane to help navigate the 50-foot walk to the stage.
Comments
I hate to say this Mayor Menino, but I used to support you as a mayor, but the longer you stay in the office the less I support you. You raised the assessment of my house in Fields Corner from $181,000 to $250,000 this year, and you gave State Street Corporation an $11.5 Million tax break - even while the firm had sent hundreds of Boston jobs to INDIA, and just wiped out 260 Boston Middle Class jobs last week. mayor Menino, if you want to secure a couple of jobs for your grand children in the future - (1) Please raise your own property taxes in Reedville by 40% and (2) give away your own job, and not the jobs of others. "TERM LIMITS" time folks.
I hope they fitted Mayor Menino with a flak jacket while he was in the hospital. Every critic of this administration is taking advantage of Menino's illness to slam the leader, despite what he tries to do. Compared to what I see going on in Patrick Land, Boston is in great shape.
Anyone looks great compared to Patrick.
Overall, Mayor Menino has governed well and with honor. Whether Boston public schools have improved over the last decade or whether Boston's employee pensions/health benefit costs have been properly funded are open questions. No one would question the Mayor's good intentions and I hope everyone wished him well. But, even setting aside questions about the Mayor's future stamina, twenty years as Mayor should be enough for anyone. Hope he bows out gracefully, on top.