Thomas Menino

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Thomas Michael Menino
Thomas Menino
Incumbent
Assumed office 
July 12, 1993
Preceded by Raymond Flynn
Born December 27, 1942 (1942-12-27) (age 65)
Hyde Park, Massachusetts
Political party Democratic
Spouse Angela Faletra
Children Susan
Thomas Jr.
Alma mater University of Massachusetts Boston

Thomas Michael Menino (born December 27, 1942) is the mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, United States and the city's first Italian-American mayor.

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[edit] Biography

Born in Readville, a part of Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood, Menino was educated at Chamberlayne Junior College (AA, Business Management, 1963) and the University of Massachusetts Boston (BA, Community Planning, 1988). He currently resides in Hyde Park with his wife, Angela Faletra. They have two children: Susan and Thomas Jr.

Menino had served nine years on Boston's city council when Ray Flynn left the mayor's seat to become US ambassador to the Vatican. The council president at the time, Menino became acting mayor for four months before being elected to his first term in November 1993, defeating State Representative Jim Brett with 64% of the vote and becoming the city's first non-Irish-American mayor in almost eighty years. After running unopposed for a second term in 1997, Menino defeated Boston City Councillor Peggy Davis-Mullen in 2001 for a third term with 76% of the vote [1] and in 2005 garnered 67% of the vote in beating Maura Hennigan, another councillor. [2] Should Menino complete his fourth term, and if the four months as acting mayor are included, he would become the longest-serving mayor in Boston history.

In 2006, Menino proposed two major construction projects which would have a major impact on the city. Trans National Place is a proposed 1,000 foot tower to be built on the site of a city owned parking garage in Boston's Financial District. The second proposal calls for the city to sell Boston's City Hall, a 1960's icon of Brutalism architecture. Menino would then have the city use the proceeds from the sale to fund construction of a new seat of government on the South Boston waterfront, on the site of the current Bank of America Pavillion (Drydock 4).

On April 25, 2006, Menino and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg hosted a summit at Gracie Mansion in New York City, during which the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition was formed. The coalition, of which Menino remains its co-chair, stated its goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The initial group consisted of 15 mayors; the 15 drafted and signed a statement of principles[1] and set a goal to expand their membership to 50 mayors by the end of 2006. That goal was met six months ahead of schedule, and led to its current membership of 210 mayors, with members from both major political parties and 40 states.[2]

[edit] Health

Menino has been hospitalized several times since taking office. He has been admitted for abdominal pain and intestinal inflammation, and was treated for kidney stones in 1995 and 1997. In 2003, Menino underwent surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital to remove a rare sarcoma (DFSP) on his back. The tumor had not spread, and the mayor was able to return to work in a matter of days. In 2004, the mayor's doctors confirmed he has been diagnosed with Crohn's disease, helping to explain his recurring intestinal problems. The condition requires life-long treatment with anti-inflammatory medication and careful monitoring of his diet.[3]

[edit] Quotes

Mayor Menino is known for his distinctive voice and malapropisms, leading some to call him "Mayor Mumbles". Typical examples involve references to Boston's parking shortage as "an Alcatraz around my neck" (meaning, instead, an albatross around his neck), and to former mayor John Collins as "a man of great statue."[citation needed]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Principles. Retrieved on June 18, 2007
  2. ^ Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members. Retrieved on June 18, 2007

[edit] External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Raymond L. Flynn		 Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts
1993 -		 Succeeded by
current