Bürgermeisteramt von Thomas Menino

Thomas Menino war von 1993 bis 2014 Bürgermeister von Boston , Massachusetts. Er ist der am längsten amtierende Bürgermeister in der Geschichte der Stadt. ^{[ 3 ]} Menino wurde im Juli 1993 erstmals kommissarischer Bürgermeister, nachdem Raymond Flynn zurückgetreten war, um das Amt des US-Botschafters beim Heiligen Stuhl anzunehmen (Meninos damalige Position als Präsident des Bostoner Stadtrats bedeutete, dass er mit Flynns Rücktritt automatisch das Amt des kommissarischen Bürgermeisters übernahm). Bei der darauffolgenden Bürgermeisterwahl 1993 wurde Menino zum Bürgermeister gewählt und in den vier folgenden Wahlen für weitere Amtszeiten wiedergewählt, was eine beispiellose ^{[ 4 ]} und unübertroffene Amtszeit von zwanzig Jahren ergab. Am 28. März 2013 gab Menino bekannt, dass er nicht für eine sechste Amtszeit kandidieren werde. ^{[ 5 ]}

Nach Meninos Tod im Oktober 2014 schrieb Katherine Q. Seelye von der New York Times, dass Menino als Bürgermeister „eine der erfolgreichsten Stadterneuerungen der modernen amerikanischen Geschichte“ geleitet habe. ^{[ 6 ]} Menino, der als „Stadtmechaniker“ galt, war bekannt dafür, sich auf die praktischen Belange der Stadt zu konzentrieren und genoss als Bürgermeister sehr hohe Zustimmungswerte in der Bevölkerung . Während seiner Amtszeit erlebte Boston zahlreiche Neubauprojekte, darunter das Seaport District , die Neugestaltung des Dudley Square (heute „Nubian Square“) und die Sanierung des Gebiets um den Fenway Park . Parallel dazu führte die Gentrifizierung dazu, dass sich einige langjährige Bewohner ihre Viertel nicht mehr leisten konnten. Es wurden Vorwürfe laut, Menino habe bestimmte Bauträger bevorzugt. Während seiner Amtszeit als Bürgermeister sank die Kriminalität in Boston auf ein beispielloses Tief, und die Stadt zählte zu den sichersten Großstädten der Vereinigten Staaten. Menino ergriff zudem eine Reihe von umweltbezogenen Maßnahmen. Im letzten Jahr von Meninos Amtszeit wurde die Stadt mit dem Bombenanschlag auf den Boston-Marathon konfrontiert , einem Fall von inländischem Terrorismus .

Menino was a liberal member of the Democratic Party. Menino led a powerful political machine in Boston and also played roles in national politics, such as serving as president of the United States Conference of Mayors from 2002 to 2003, bringing the 2004 Democratic National Convention to Boston, and co-founding the group Mayors Against Illegal Guns alongside New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Menino was a liberal and a Democrat.^[6]

Menino was the first Italian American to lead the city of Boston.^[7] Menino was the city's first non-Irish American mayor since the Great Depression.^[8]

Menino led a powerful political machine in Boston.^[6] In 2009, the Boston Globe wrote that "Menino has assembled the most extensive political operation in modern Boston history over his 16 years in office, rivaling that of legendary mayor James Michael Curley. He's done it the old-fashioned way, by blurring the lines between politics and policy, between city work and campaign work, delivering services to everyday residents and warnings to his rare foes—many of them intended to strengthen his electoral standing."^[6]

In March 1993, President Clinton nominated Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn to be the United States Ambassador to the Holy See. Mayor Flynn accepted the nomination, effectively making Menino, who was president of the Boston City Council at the time, the presumptive future acting mayor.^[9]

Menino had had a longtime friendship with outgoing mayor Flynn. However, their relationship was noted to have become somewhat terser during the period in which Flynn was preparing to hand over the office to Menino.^[10] One cause for their rift was that, after Menino had promised he would appoint 100 new police officers when he took office, Flynn beat him to the chase and did so himself, which angered Menino.^[11]

Nach Flynns Rücktritt am 12. Juli 1993 übernahm Menino bis zu den anstehenden Wahlen im November 1993 kommissarisch das Amt des Bürgermeisters von Boston . ^{[ 8 ] [ 12 ]}

Manche sahen Menino zunächst als eine Art „Verwalter“ des Amtes. Brian McGrory vom Boston Globe schrieb zu Beginn von Meninos kommissarischer Amtszeit als Bürgermeister: „Manche halten Menino für einen Verwalter, eine bekannte Größe, einen gemäßigten Kompromissbereiten, der wohl keine großen Veränderungen herbeiführen oder der Stadt ernsthaften Schaden zufügen wird.“ McGrory berichtete außerdem, dass einige von Meninos Stadtratskollegen seine bisherige Arbeit als Stadtrat als unauffällig einstuften. ^{[ 11 ]}

Eine Reihe von Maßnahmen, die er unmittelbar nach seinem Amtsantritt ergriff, wurden von Analysten als Schritte zur Stärkung seines Images für eine Bürgermeisterkandidatur gewertet. ^{[ 13 ]} Anfang August 1993 unterzeichnete Menino einen Fördervertrag mit dem Bundesstaat, der 3,7 Millionen US-Dollar an staatlichen Mitteln für den Bau einer Wertstoffrecyclinganlage in der Stadt vorsah . [ ^{14 ] Menino} setzte die Wassergebühren der Stadt, die aufgrund der Kosten für eine gerichtlich angeordnete Sanierung des Bostoner Hafens gestiegen waren, vorläufig aus . Meninos Maßnahme fand bei den Einwohnern der Stadt Anklang, obwohl Zweifel bestanden, ob ein amtierender Bürgermeister tatsächlich die Befugnis zu einer solchen Maßnahme besaß. ^{[ 15 ]}

Bevor Menino das Amt des amtierenden Bürgermeisters übernahm, beauftragte er John P. White mit der Ausarbeitung eines Plans für Meninos Umgang mit dem Wirtschaftssektor der Stadt. ^{[ 12 ]} White war Direktor des Center for Business and Government der Harvard University , ehemaliger Manager bei Eastman Kodak und hatte den Wirtschaftsplan für Ross Perots Präsidentschaftskampagne 1992 verfasst . ^{[ 16 ]}

Während seiner Amtszeit als amtierender Bürgermeister ernannte Menino Alfreda Harristo vorübergehend zur Nachfolgerin im Bostoner Schulkomitee . Nachdem Harristo die entscheidende Stimme bei der Ablehnung eines Tarifvertragsvorschlags für Lehrkräfte abgegeben hatte, klagte die Bostoner Lehrergewerkschaft und stellte Meninos Befugnis als amtierender Bürgermeister zur Vornahme einer solchen Ernennung in Frage. Ein Richter wies die Klage mangels Klagebefugnis ab. ^{[ 17 ]}

Menino wurde nach seinem Sieg bei den Bürgermeisterwahlen in Boston 1993 vom „amtierenden Bürgermeister“ zum „Bürgermeister“ ernannt. ^{[ 17 ]}

Menino führte zunächst einen unauffälligen Wahlkampf, nachdem er seine Absicht, das Amt des amtierenden Bürgermeisters zu übernehmen, bereits Monate zuvor informell angedeutet hatte. Vor seiner Amtsübernahme sammelte Menino im Stillen beträchtliche Spenden für seinen Wahlkampf. ^{[ 11 ]} Nach seinem Amtsantritt als amtierender Bürgermeister führte Menino eine Art „ Rosengarten-Wahlkampf “, der seine kommissarische Position und die damit verbundenen Privilegien ausnutzte. ^{[ 18 ]} Am 16. August 1993 erklärte er sich offiziell zu einem Bürgermeisterkandidaten, nachdem bereits zahlreiche andere Kandidaten ihre Kandidatur offiziell bekannt gegeben hatten. ^{[ 19 ]}

Als Menino für das Bürgermeisteramt kandidierte, versprach er, „nur zwei Amtszeiten zu absolvieren, und das war’s für mich.“ ^{[ 20 ]} Seine Amtszeit übertraf diese Zahl jedoch deutlich. 2001 kandidierte Menino für eine dritte Amtszeit und scherzte: „Ich habe versprochen, zwei Amtszeiten zu absolvieren – in jedem Jahrhundert.“ ^{[ 21 ]}

1997 wurde Menino wiedergewählt, da kein Herausforderer genügend gültige Unterschriften für die Zulassung zur Wahl sammeln konnte und formell ohne Gegenkandidaten antrat. ^{[ 22 ] [ 23 ]}

Bei der Bürgermeisterwahl 2001 trat Menino gegen Peggy Davis-Mullen an , nachdem eine dritte Kandidatin, Althea Garrison, in der parteiunabhängigen Vorwahl ausgeschieden war. ^{[ 24 ]} Menino galt mit einer Zustimmungsrate von fast 85 % als klarer Favorit. Davis-Mullen war wenig bekannt und sah sich während ihres Wahlkampfs zudem einer Reihe negativer Berichte im Boston Globe und im Boston Herald ausgesetzt , die ihrem öffentlichen Image schadeten. ^{[ 25 ]} Menino gewann 73,37 % der Stimmen in der Vorwahl und 76,06 % der Stimmen in der Hauptwahl. ^{[ 24 ]}

Im Jahr 2005 gewann Menino mit 67,52 % der Stimmen gegen Maura Hennigan . ^{[ 26 ]} Menino sah sich einem Schmutzwahlkampf von Hennigan gegenüber, die ihn für die hohen Lebenshaltungskosten und den jüngsten Anstieg der Kriminalität in der Stadt verantwortlich machte. Menino hielt sich jedoch aus dem Streit heraus und reagierte weitgehend nicht auf ihre Angriffe. ^{[ 27 ]}

Bei den allgemeinen Wahlen 2009 trat Menino gegen Michael F. Flaherty an, nachdem Sam Yoon und Kevin McCrea in der parteiunabhängigen Vorwahl ausgeschieden waren. ^{[ 28 ]} Menino gewann 50,52 % der Stimmen in der Vorwahl und 57,27 % der Stimmen bei den allgemeinen Wahlen. ^{[ 28 ]} Bei den allgemeinen Wahlen verbündete sich Flaherty mit dem ausgeschiedenen Kandidaten Sam Yoon und machte ihn inoffiziell zu seinem Vizebürgermeisterkandidaten, indem er ihm versprach, ihn im Falle seiner Wahl in ein neu geschaffenes Amt des „stellvertretenden Bürgermeisters“ zu berufen. ^{[ 29 ] [ 30 ]} Während des Wahlkampfs 2009 veröffentlichte der Boston Globe einen Artikel, in dem unlautere Methoden gegen politische Gegner und deren Unterstützer in Meninos Bürgermeisterwahlkampf angeprangert wurden. ^{[ 31 ]} Der Artikel berichtete über mehrere Fälle fragwürdigen Verhaltens, darunter Fälle, in denen Meninos Mitarbeiter die Facebook- Aktivitäten seines Gegenkandidaten Michael F. Flaherty überwachten . Dem Artikel zufolge verschickte Meninos Wahlkampfteam ein Memo, in dem der Name mindestens eines Kleinunternehmers stand, der Flaherty unterstützte. ^{[ 31 ]} 2011 behauptete Flaherty, sein ehemaliger Vizegouverneurskandidat Sam Yoon habe Boston nach seiner Kandidatur gegen Menino verlassen müssen, weil die Verbündeten des Bürgermeisters es Yoon erschwert hätten, vor Ort eine Anstellung zu finden. ^{[ 32 ]}

Im Mai 2002 wurde Menino zum Präsidenten der United States Conference of Mayors gewählt . Er bekleidete dieses Amt dreizehn Monate lang. ^{[ 8 ]}

Im Jahr 2003 war Menino Mitglied des Auswahlkomitees für den Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence . ^{[ 33 ]}

Menino holte den Parteitag der Demokraten 2004 nach Boston . Der Parteitag war aufgrund von Schwierigkeiten bei der Mittelbeschaffung, Sicherheitsbedenken, Protesten von Gewerkschaften und Beeinträchtigungen für die Anwohner umstritten. Menino schätzte jedoch, dass der Parteitag der Stadt 150 Millionen Dollar an Einnahmen bescherte; andere Schätzungen gehen hingegen von 14,8 Millionen Dollar aus. ^{[ 34 ]}

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 stated its goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets"—Menino remained co-chair there until he left the office. The initial group consisted of 15 mayors; the 15 drafted and signed a statement of principles^[35] 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 more than 900 mayors, with members from both major political parties and 40 states.^[36]

Menino supported the 2008 presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, sending his own campaign workers to New Hampshire to work for her candidacy ahead of the 2008 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary.^[6] After Barack Obama secured the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, Menino opposed the nomination, Menino publicly opposed the prospect of Clinton being selected as his vice presidential running mate, believing that her husband, former president Bill Clinton, would pose a problem by being an overshadowing presence as second gentleman of the United States if Hillary Clinton were to serve as vice president, which he believed would be to the detriment of Obama.^[37]

Menino spoke at the 2012 Democratic National Convention.^[38] His speech criticized Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who had formerly served as governor of Massachusetts during part of Menino's mayoralty.^[39] In September 2012, he endorsed Democratic nominee Elizabeth Warren in the 2012 United States Senate election in Massachusetts.^[40]

Während Meninos Amtszeit wies die Stadt Boston einen Haushaltsüberschuss auf. ^{[ 41 ]} Dies veranlasste Moody’s Investors Service und Standard & Poor ’s, das Kreditrating der Stadt während Meninos Amtszeit insgesamt neunmal anzuheben. ^{[ 41 ]}

Menino war Mitbegründer von Mayors Against Illegal Guns. ^{[ 8 ]}

Menino unterstützte das Recht auf Abtreibung . ^{[ 42 ] [ 43 ]} Er befürwortete auch die öffentliche Finanzierung von Abtreibungen. ^{[ 44 ]}

Als Menino 1993 zum Bürgermeister gewählt wurde, hatte er sich bereits öffentlich dafür ausgesprochen, dass homosexuelle Paare als Pflegeeltern zugelassen werden sollten . ^{[ 42 ]}

Zum Zeitpunkt seines Bürgermeisterwahlkampfs 1993 befürwortete Menino eine bestehende städtische Verordnung , die städtischen Angestellten Krankheits- oder Trauerurlaub gewährte, wenn ein Lebenspartner oder ein anderes Haushaltsmitglied erkrankte oder starb. ^{[ 42 ]}

1998 unterzeichnete Menino eine Verordnung, die es Lebenspartnern und Angehörigen von homosexuellen, lesbischen und unverheirateten städtischen Angestellten ermöglichte, Gesundheitsleistungen der Stadt zu erhalten. ^{[ 45 ]} Er gehörte zu den ersten Bürgermeistern in den Vereinigten Staaten, die solche Leistungen auf gleichgeschlechtliche Partner städtischer Angestellter ausweiteten. ^{[ 6 ]}

Menino sprach sich im Jahr 2003 für die gleichgeschlechtliche Ehe aus. ^{[ 46 ]}

Ab 1995 weigerte sich Menino, an der St. Patrick’s Day Parade in South Boston teilzunehmen, da LGBTQ-Gruppen und -Darbietungen dort ausgeschlossen wurden. ^{[ 6 ] [ 47 ]}

Im Jahr 2012 leitete Menino die Initiative „Mayors for Freedom to Marry“ (Bürgermeister für die Freiheit zu heiraten) . ^{[ 44 ]}

On July 19, 2012, Mayor Menino stated that he would work to prevent Chick-fil-A from opening restaurants within Boston, especially near the Freedom Trail, citing their opposition to same-sex marriage and what he called Boston's status as "a leader when it comes to social justice and opportunities for all."^[48] The next day, Menino sent a letter to Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy. Menino urged the company to "back out of your plans to locate in Boston" because of his stance on gay marriage. Gay rights supporters applauded the mayor's support of gay marriage rights, while First Amendment advocates decried the potential for abuse of office to infringe on free speech rights.^[48] Menino later stated that he knew there was little he could do as mayor to prevent them from opening restaurants and that he was stating his personal opinion. He maintained that they were not welcome in the city, however.^[49]Boston Herald columnist Michael Graham called Menino's stance nonsensical, in light of Menino's previous friendly relations with the Islamic Society of Boston, which at one point listed among its "spiritual guides" Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who has called for homosexuals to be put to death.^[50]

During Menino's tenure, the city's total square footage of office and residential space increased by 11%, and 80 million square feet of development was constructed.^[51]

In the 1990s, Menino made an effort to redevelop Boston City Hall Plaza which was shelved after it failed to receive federal support.^[52]

Menino was highly supportive of a project by the Islamic Society of Boston to build a mosque in Roxbury, including selling city land to the mosque at a significantly below-market rate and participating in a groundbreaking ceremony for the mosque in 2002.^[53] The project became increasingly controversial due to the ISB's alleged ties to various individual terrorists and terrorist organizations, and, by 2008, when the initial building was completed, the Boston Phoenix reported that "Menino and other city representatives have vanished from public association with the project."^[53]

In 2006, Menino proposed two major construction projects that would have significantly impact the city, but ultimately failed to materialize. Trans National Place is a proposed 1,000-foot (300 m) tower to be built on the site of a city-owned parking garage in Boston's Financial District. The second proposal called for the city to sell Boston City Hall,^[8] a 1960s brutalist structure. 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,^[8] on the site of the current Bank of America Pavilion (Drydock 4). Menino abandoned the idea of moving the city's city hall in January 2009.^[54]

Menino supported the proposed redevelopment of Filene's site in Downtown Crossing into a 39-floor tower. This was fast-tracked by the Boston Redevelopment Authority in 2007 but halted during the Great Recession.^[41] This site still sat vacant, as a result of the failure of this faltered project.^[41] It later became home to the Millennium Tower.^[55]

In 2008, the Friends of Mary Cummings Park delivered a complaint to the Massachusetts Attorney General alleging breach of charitable trust by the Menino administration which had sought to sell more than 200 acres (81 ha) of public parkland for development. The Menino administration had used hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Mary P.C. Cummings care and maintenance trust fund to pay for legal services working toward breaking the trust and to hire a real estate agent to prepare an extensive plan on how to develop the public parkland as either commercial or residential real estate, substantially depleting the fund.^[56]

In 2012, Menino made an effort to get a casino developed at Suffolk Downs in East Boston and opposed a proposed casino development in Everett, Massachusetts (which would have used a small portion of land located in Boston's city limits).^[57][58][59]

At the end of Menino's tenure, the city was undergoing a construction boom, with Moody's Investor Service having credited the city in 2012, having "the strongest commercial real estate market in the country since the 2008 recession".^[51]

Menino often faced criticism accusing him of playing "favorites" with developers.^[41]

In 2001, Menino intervened to help stop a chain drugstore from opening a few blocks from a pharmacy owned by a close friend and political supporter. The case raised the question of favoritism and cronyism in the city's zoning and licensing practices.^[60]

Since the mid-1990s, Menino had pushed for the idea of the downtown business improvement district.^[55] However, legislation for such a plan repeatedly was defeated in the state legislature, before legislation giving state approval finally succeeded in 2010.^[55][61]

Menino gave priority to the redevelopment of Dudley Square (today known as "Nubian Square"). Over his tenure, there was roughly $330 million of private development there.^[52] In March 2011, Menino proposed renovating the abandoned Ferdinand's Furniture building in the area and relocating 400 Boston Public School employees from the School Department's headquarters at 26 Court Street, a block from Boston's City Hall, a circa-1895, Baroque Revival structure located in Dudley Square. The renovation was estimated to cost $100–115 million, an amount raised by issuing municipal bonds that would be paid back by selling or leasing five of the city's municipal buildings.^[62]

Between 2000 and 2010, Boston saw 20,500 new units of housing constructed, including 5,500 units of affordable housing.^[63] The influx of millions of dollars of new high-priced housing during Menino's tenure contributed to gentrification, which had the negative impact of pricing longtime residents out of neighborhoods.^[6]

More than 12,000 new college dormitory rooms were constructed in Boston during Menino's tenure.^[51]

Menino was also known for focusing on neighborhood development in Boston, organizing services by neighborhood, and appointing neighborhood coordinators who serve as ambassadors from the city in their areas, believing that development should happen in every neighborhood. In 2001, Governing magazine named Mayor Menino "Public Official of the Year" for effective neighborhood development in Boston. This model has spread to other cities as a result of its effectiveness.^[64]

Menino oversaw the development of the Seaport District,^[41] also known as the "Innovation District".

In June 2004, the city completed construction on the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, a project which Menino had strongly supported for years.^[8] When Menino had taken office, the city had only 293,000 square feet of convention space. By the time he left office, it had 1,3099,000 square feet of convention space.^[65] The construction of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center marked a start to development of the Seaport District of the city.^[8]

In January 2010, Mayor Menino launched an initiative to create an urban environment fostering innovation, collaboration, and entrepreneurship on 1,000 acres (400 ha) of the South Boston waterfront.^[66][67] The so-called Innovation District includes the Fort Point neighborhood, Seaport Square, Fan Pier, and Marine Industrial Park.^[66] Of the initiative, Mayor Menino said: "A new approach is called for on the waterfront—one that is both more deliberate and more experimental. The massive expanse of the South Boston waterfront—with its existing knowledge base, opportunity for growth, and world-class infrastructure—is ripe to produce world-class products and services."^[68]

In the mid 1990s, Menino opposed two plans proposed by Robert Kraft for new venues that would have housed the New England Patriots in the city.^[52] One of these plans was the proposed Boston Sports Megaplex in Roxbury.^[69][70][71] The other of these plans was for a stand-alone waterfront football stadium in South Boston (where the Seaport District is today).^[52][70] Menino instead favored constructing a stand-alone convention center in South Boston, and urged instead for a location in the South Bay to be considered for the stadium for the New England Patriots.^[72]

Menino was involved with negotiating with Boston Red Sox ownership and the state of Massachusetts a deal to provide public funds to build a new baseball stadium near the existing Fenway Park. However, the Boston City Council rejected the deal, and the existing Fenway Park was instead renovated.^[41] After new ownership abandoned the idea of replacing Fenway Park, Menino supported their efforts to renovate the stadium, and also launched a review of the potential new development in the surrounding neighborhood. Following a 2004 rezoning effort of the neighborhood surrounding Fenway Park, the area began to see major new developments.^[52]

Menino was involved in providing millions of dollars in tax breaks for the development of a complex of high-rise towers surrounding the TD Garden arena.^[55]

Student performance in Boston Public Schools made improvements during Menino's tenure in regards to test scores.^[6][41] However, Menino was resistant to many school reforms,^[41] despite having promised to overhaul the schools.^[6]

Menino long opposed publicly funded tuition vouchers.^[44] In June 2009, Menino voiced support for performance pay in Boston public schools.^[73][44]

Menino failed in his effort to lengthen school days, meeting resistance from the Boston Teachers Union.^[41]

For years, Menino's position on charter schools was one of opposition.^[74] Shortly after taking office, Menino collaborated with leadership of the Boston Teachers' Union to establish pilot schools, which they had hoped would compete against charter schools.^[74] In 2005, Menino levied a threat to abandon his opposition to charter schools amid a dispute between the Boston Teachers Union and the Menino-appointed Boston School Committee.^[74]

In 2009, Menino came out in support of charter schools. In June, he came out in support of in-district charter schools.^[73] Legislation permitting these would be passed in Massachusetts in 2010.^[75] In July, he submitted state legislation which would have converted Boston's lowest-performing public schools into charter schools. At the time, he stated that he planned, if the legislation failed, to lobby for the state to raise its cap on charter schools, something which Governor Deval Patrick was pursuing at the time.^[76][77] At this time, he praised what he proclaimed to be charter schools' ability to attract quality teachers, arrange lessons to fit students' needs, and establish flexibile workplace rules.^[74] However, even then, Menino's support for charter schools was described by The Boston Globe's James Vaznis as, "tepid".^[74] In January 2013, Meino urged the state to remove limits on charter schools in underperforming school districts, and to also enhance the authority of school administrators to inteverne in troubled schools.^[78][79]

During Menino's tenure, crime in Boston fell to record lows, and the city came to rank among the United States' safest large cities.^[80] Boston's violent crime rate fell from 1,957.7 in 1993, to 845.2 in 2011.^[65]

Menino took office amid the "Boston Miracle", a successful joint effort by police, churches, and neighborhood groups which worked to decrease youth-on-youth violence.^[54] At the start of his tenure, Boston was experiencing a 29-month long period in which no teenagers were murdered in the city. This ended on December 11, 1997, when a sixteen year old was murdered in Dorcester.^[8] Menino supported Operation Ceasefire,^[81] which is credited with decreasing homicide rate in the city.^[54] In 2003, the Operation Ceasefire program received the United States Department of Justice's "Outstanding Comprehensive Strategic Plan Award".^[82]

In November 2003, Menino appointed James M. Hussey as acting police commissioner, following the departure of Commissioner Paul F. Evans.^[83][84] In 2004, Menino appointed Kathleen O'Toole as the first-ever woman to serve as commissioner of the Boston Police Department.^[85] In May 2006, Menino appointed Albert Goslin to serve as interim police commissioner following O'Toole's departure.^[86] In December 2006, Menino appointed Ed Davis to serve as police commissioner.^[87] In November 2013, Menino appointed William B. Evans to serve as interim police commissioner following Davis' departure.^[88]

In October 2011, controversy arose surrounding Menino's decision to evict members of the Occupy Boston protest on the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Menino later commented that "I sympathize with their issues, some of those issues we really have to look at in America, but when it comes to civil disobedience I will not tolerate civil disobedience in the city of Boston."^[89][90] On December 10, 2011, Menino oversaw a peaceful removal of Occupy Boston's tent city from Dewey Square. The encampment had been running for seventy days before this. The removal of it occurred peacefully.^[54]

In seinem letzten Amtsjahr ereignete sich der Bombenanschlag auf den Boston-Marathon . Menino, der sich drei Tage vor den Anschlägen wegen eines Beinbruchs im Krankenhaus erholte (und deshalb auf einen Rollstuhl angewiesen war), entließ sich gegen den Rat seines Arztes, um sich um die Folgen der Anschläge zu kümmern und an der ersten Pressekonferenz der Stadt nach dem Anschlag teilzunehmen. ^{[ 80 ] [ 91 ]} Drei Tage nach dem Anschlag, während eines interreligiösen Gottesdienstes, stand Menino aus dem Rollstuhl auf und erklärte: „Wir sind ein Boston. Keine Widrigkeiten, keine Herausforderungen, nichts kann die Widerstandsfähigkeit im Herzen dieser Stadt und ihrer Bevölkerung brechen.“ ^{[ 91 ]}

Menino leitete die Verhandlungen, die im Januar 1996 zur Fusion des Boston City Hospital (das sich in einem Niedergang befand und in finanziellen Schwierigkeiten steckte) mit dem BU Medical Center führten. Ziel dieser Fusion war die Verbesserung der Gesundheitsversorgung für die ärmeren Einwohner der Stadt. Aus dieser Fusion ging das privatisierte Boston Medical Center hervor . ^{[ 8 ] [ 92 ]} Bereits als Stadtrat hatte Menino die Idee einer Umstrukturierung des Boston City Hospital unterstützt. ^{[ 13 ]} Der Menino-Pavillon im Boston Medical Center wurde später nach ihm benannt, um seine Verdienste um die öffentliche Gesundheit zu würdigen. ^{[ 92 ]}

Anfang der 2000er-Jahre unterstützte Menino frühzeitig die Bemühungen um ein landesweites Rauchverbot an Arbeitsplätzen in Massachusetts. ^{[ 92 ]} Im Jahr 2012 führte Boston als erste Großstadt in Massachusetts und zugleich als größte Stadt der Vereinigten Staaten ein Rauchverbot in öffentlichen Wohnanlagen ein . ^{[ 92 ]}

Wie schon während seiner Amtszeit im Stadtrat von Boston unterstützte Menino auch als Bürgermeister Nadeltauschprogramme . ^{[ 44 ]}

Im Jahr 2005 rief Menino ein Projekt mit einem Budget von 1 Million Dollar ins Leben, um ethnische und rassische Ungleichheiten im Gesundheitswesen zu erfassen und mit Krankenhäusern und anderen Gesundheitsdienstleistern zusammenzuarbeiten, um diese anzugehen. ^{[ 92 ]}

In 2008 Menino publicly criticized drugstore chains for failing to open clinics in the city of Boston. The state of Massachusetts had moved to permit drugstores to open clinics, and while many had opened in the suburbs, none had opened in the city of Boston.^[92]

In 2004, in an effort to fight childhood obesity, Menino banned sodas from Boston Public Schools.^[93] In April 2011, in a similar effort to fight obesity, Menino banned advertisements and sales of sugar-heavy drinks in municipal buildings and at city-sponsored events.^[54]

In 2008, Boston was ranked as the third-greenest city in the United States by Popular Science.^[94] In the previous decade, there had been new initiatives around planting more trees in the city, single-stream recycling, increasing the solar power capacity of the city, investing in alternative energy, and biking. One of the most innovative ideas has been green building zoning, which requires large-scale private construction to be "green" by LEED standards. Boston is the first city to revise its building code to ensure green construction.^[95]

Menino was a founding members of the US Mayors' Alliance for Green Schools.^[96]

Under Menino, Boston became the first major city in the United States to incorporate green building standards in its zoning codes. Boston changed its zoning codes to require private construction larger than 50,000 square feet to adhere to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED standards.^[96]

Under Menino, Boston partnered with other government agencies and local businesses to accomplish its goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 7% below 1990 levels by 2012, and to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.

Menino released an updated Climate Action Plan for the City of Boston on Earth Day 2011. The major goals of the climate plan included reducing community greenhouse emissions 25% by 2020 and 80% by 2050, including projected climate change into all formal planning and project review processes, encouraging community climate action and leadership, and creating green jobs.^[97]

In May 2013, Menino launched Greenovate Boston, a community-driven movement aiming to achieve Menino's goal of an 80% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, as outlined in his 2011 climate action plan.^[98]

Im Juli 2009 sprach sich Menino für die von den staatlichen Verkehrsbetrieben vorgeschlagene Buslinie 28X der MBTA aus , die die stark frequentierte Buslinie 28 verbessern sollte. ^{[ 99 ]} Dieser Plan sah die Einrichtung von Busspuren auf dem Mittelstreifen der Blue Hill Avenue und auf der Warren Street vor, um eine Schnellbuslinie für die Linie 28 zu etablieren. Der Plan wurde jedoch letztendlich verworfen. ^{[ 100 ]}

2011 schlug Menino einen Fährbetrieb der MBTA zwischen East Boston und dem Fan Pier an der South Boston Waterfront vor . ^{[ 101 ]} Im August 2012 bewilligte die Federal Highway Administration der Stadt 1,28 Millionen US-Dollar für den Kauf zweier Schiffe. ^{[ 102 ]} Im September 2012 nahm die Boston Redevelopment Authority die Fördermittel an und erklärte sich bereit, das East Boston Marine Terminal für die Fähren zu sanieren. Der Betriebsbeginn war für 2013 geplant. ^{[ 103 ]} Später wurde der Betriebsstart auf 2014 verschoben. ^{[ 104 ]} Die Pläne für den Fährbetrieb gerieten jedoch während der Amtszeit von Meninos Nachfolger Marty Walsh ins Stocken, da die Fördermittel nicht ausreichten, um die tatsächlichen Kosten für die Anschaffung der beiden neuen Schiffe zu decken. ^{[ 105 ]} Letztendlich wurde der Fährbetrieb erst im September 2021 aufgenommen. ^{[ 106 ]}

In October 2013, with traffic becoming a problem in the city's Innovation District, Menino and Massachusetts Department of Transportation Secretary Richard A. Davey jointly announced a number of planned changes aimed at quelling this. This included the installation of "time to destination" message signs intended at informing drivers of when to avoid taking routes through the district, pedestrian enhancements, re-striping the Evelyn Moakley Bridge's surface to direct motorists towards Interstate 93, "smart parking" sendsors to allow mobile applications to help drivers find vacant parking spaces, and the South Boston–East Boston ferry service (with plans for such service to be launched the following year).^[104][107]

Menino was mayor for most of the years of the Big Dig,^[108] a state-run megaproject overseen by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.^[109] In March 2005, with the Big Dig facing significant cost overruns and other troubles, Menino wrote to Harvard UniversityPresidentLawrence Summers to request that he and Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyPresidentSusan Hockfield assist in evaluating the project's management and finances.^[110]

In 2012, Menino commented against the state's plans to replace the Monsignor William J. Casey Overpass in Jamaica Plain, saying that he would preferred them to instead reconstruct the overpass with a park below it. He negatively referred to the planned demolition as a "second Big Dig" (in reference to the Big Dig's difficulties).^[111]

Three times between the years 1999 and 2006, Boston was ranked by Bicycling magazine as one of the worst cities in the United States for bicycling.^[41] In, September 2007, Menino started a bicycle program called Boston Bikes with a goal of improving bicycling conditions by adding bike lanes and racks and offering bikeshare programs.^[112][113] By hosting events and creating a bike-friendly landscape throughout the city, the initiative encourages residents and tourists to explore the city by bicycle. Olympic cyclist Nicole Freedman headed the program for several years.^[114] By the end of Menino's tenure, the city had 120 miles of bicycling paths, and had roughly 1,000 Hubwaybike sharing cycles.^[41]

In the late 1990s, after the operator of the Harborlights Pavilion was evicted from the venue's original location at Fan Pier, Menino and Boston Redevelopment Authority head Thomas N. O'Brien worked to find a new location on the city's waterfront for the venue.^[115]

Menino was an important supporter of the revitalization of Dorcester's Strand Theatre.^[116] Menino's administration began working to revitalize the venue in 2005, in hopes of making it a local cultural attraction to draw crowds to the area. The city failed to find development partners, and instead spent $6.2 million of its own money on capital improvements to the venue, transforming it into a youth arts and performance center managed by Boston's cultural affairs office.^[116]

Menino was an important supporter of the construction of the Calderwood Pavilion. Menino negotiated the deal between the Boston Center for the Arts and the Druker Company in which the Druker Company agreed to build the "shell and core" of a performing arts venue as part of its Atelier/505 luxury mixed-usecondo development. Support from the city and its Boston Redevelopment Authority were critical to the construction of the venue.^[116]

Menino gave some financial assistance and in kind services to support the Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's free performances of the works of William Shakespeare on the Boston Common.^[116][117]

In 2003, Menino relaunched the Boston Arts Festival.^[118]

Menino supported the construction of a new home for the Institute of Contemporary Art at Fan Pier.^[117]

Menino created a position of city poet laureate, installing Samuel James Cornish as the first holder of this position in 2008.^[116][119]

In 2010, Menino's administration launched the Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program, which asked the city's largest nonprofits to make voluntary payments equal to roughly 25% of what they had to pay if they lacked non-profit status in taxable property on properties worth $15 million or more.^[116][120] The program aimed to assist the city in offsetting the rising cost of municipal services and the loss of state financial aid due to cuts. Among the nonprofits that were asked to participate were ten cultural groups. The Boston Symphony Orchestra and the public radio station WGBH agreed to participate in the program. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts complained about the program, and instead contributed only one-fifth the amount that the city had asked it to contribute. The remaining seven cultural groups disregarded the city's request. This program was ultimately seen as straining Menino's relations with many of the city's major cultural relationships.^[116]

At the end of his tenure, Menino supported the creation of the Boston Calling Music Festival.^[117]

Während Meninos Amtszeit rangierte die Stadt regelmäßig unter den fünf Städten mit den geringsten jährlichen Ausgaben für Kunst unter den 30 größten Städten der USA, wie Daten von Americans for the Arts belegen . ^{[ 116 ]} Das Budget des Bürgermeisteramts für Kunst, Tourismus und Sonderveranstaltungen betrug 2013 rund 1,1 Millionen US-Dollar. ^{[ 116 ]} Maureen Dezell von WBUR führte das vergleichsweise niedrige Kunstbudget der Stadt auf Gesetze des Bundesstaates Massachusetts zurück, die die Einnahmequellen der Städte und Gemeinden des Bundesstaates einschränken und der Stadt somit weniger Einnahmequellen als anderen Städten in den Vereinigten Staaten zur Verfügung stehen. ^{[ 116 ]}

Menino war ein wichtiger Unterstützer der Bemühungen um die Sanierung des Boston Opera House , des Modern Theatre und des Paramount Theatre . ^{[ 121 ] [ 116 ]} 1995 startete Menino ein anspruchsvolles Projekt zur Rettung der drei baufälligen Theater, die sich alle in einem damals als anrüchig geltenden Viertel befanden. ^{[ 116 ]} Menino setzte sich für die Sanierung dieser Theater ein, um die Washington Street wiederzubeleben . ^{[ 122 ]} Menino erreichte erfolgreich, dass der National Trust for Historic Preservation die drei Theater 1995 in die Liste der elf am stärksten gefährdeten Denkmäler der USA aufnahm. ^{[ 116 ] [ 122 ]}

In 1996, David Anderson, the head of Pace Theatrical, expressed his interest in renovating the Boston Opera House.^[116]Clear Channel Entertainment Theatrical, which Anderson had become head of, ultimately acquired the Boston Opera House.^[116] Their renovation effort was complicated by opposition from some neighbors, who sued the city in 2000 to block the revitalization of the venue. This litigation lasted two years.^[116] Menino worked to keep the developers from backing out of the project while litigation ensued.^[116] The city fast tracked zoning, permitting, and other approval.^[116] In November 2002, Clear Channel received a building permit to begin restoration on the Boston Opera House.^[122] Clear Channel undertook a $54 million renovation of the historic venue which reopened in July 2004.^[116]

In 2002, the city successfully convinced the developers of the Ritz Carlton being constructed a block away from the Paramount Center to pay for restoration to the venue's façade and marquee.^[116] The city later signed an agreement with Emerson College to redevelop it into the Paramount Center, which opened in 2010.^[116] In 2011, the Modern Theatre was reopened by Suffolk University.^[116]

Early into his tenure, Menino promised to help open more grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods, in order to combat food deserts. Among other actions, Menino would, during his tenure, use city funding and American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funding to catalyze the establishment of grocery stores.^[93] In 2012, Menino's administration claimed that he had been responsible for the addition of over 26 supermarkets since taking office.^[93][123]

Im Jahr 2004 verbot Menino im Kampf gegen Fettleibigkeit bei Kindern Limonaden an den öffentlichen Schulen Bostons. ^{[ 93 ]} Im April 2011 verbot er in ähnlichen Maßnahmen gegen Fettleibigkeit Werbung und Verkauf zuckerhaltiger Getränke in städtischen Gebäuden und bei städtischen Veranstaltungen. ^{[ 54 ]} Damals äußerte Menino seinen Wunsch, „ein gesellschaftliches Umfeld zu schaffen, in dem die gesündere Wahl im Alltag einfacher wird, sei es in Schulen, am Arbeitsplatz oder an anderen Orten in der Gemeinde.“ ^{[ 93 ] [ 124 ]}

Im Jahr 2008 gründete Meino zusammen mit dem Food Project das Boston Bounty Bucks-Programm, das Personen, die Leistungen des Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/„Lebensmittelmarken“) in Anspruch nehmen, pro Besuch auf teilnehmenden Bauernmärkten einen Zuschuss von bis zu 10 US-Dollar gewährt. ^{[ 93 ]}

Im November 2010 rief Menino die „Urban Agriculture Initiative“ ins Leben, die auf zwei städtischen Grundstücken in Dorchester Pilotprojekte zur urbanen Landwirtschaft erprobte. ^{[ 125 ]} Ebenfalls 2010 setzte Menino die „Mayor's Urban Agriculture Working Group“ ein, die gemeinsam mit dem Boston Office of Food Initiatives (das ebenfalls in diesem Jahr gegründet worden war) und dem Department of Neighborhood Development die Boston Redevelopment Authority bei der Ausarbeitung neuer Bebauungspläne zur Förderung urbaner Landwirtschaft unterstützen sollte . ^{[ 93 ] [ 125 ]} Viele landwirtschaftliche Aktivitäten waren im bestehenden Bebauungsplan nur unzureichend abgedeckt, und nicht darin aufgeführte Aktivitäten galten in Boston als verbotene Nutzungen, die einen Einspruch beim Zoning Board of Appeals des Inspectional Service Department erforderten. ^{[ 125 ]} Schließlich wurde Artikel 89 entwickelt, um die Bebauungsplanung für urbane Landwirtschaft zu regeln, ^{[ 126 ]} und die Stadt verabschiedete Artikel 89 im Dezember 2013. ^{[ 127 ]}

Menino arbeitete mit dem Stadtrat von Boston zusammen, um im April 2011 die Verordnung für mobile Imbisswagen zu verabschieden. Diese Verordnung erlaubte es Imbisswagen, auf den Straßen von Boston zu operieren. ^{[ 93 ]}

Im Jahr 2012 würdigte die Konferenz der Bürgermeister der Vereinigten Staaten Meninos Erfolge mit Initiativen im Bereich Ernährung und Lebensmittelversorgung in Boston und ernannte ihn zum Vorsitzenden ihrer Arbeitsgruppe für Lebensmittelpolitik. ^{[ 125 ]}

Started in 1994, the Mayor's Youth Council, which consisted of high school students representing each of the city's fifteen neighborhoods, met with Menino twice a month to discuss youth issues in the city of Boston.^[128][129]

In 2012, Menino vetoed two consecutive City Council-approved maps for redistricting. There was controversy regarding the maps' impact on racial distribution among constituencies. Menino approved a third map that had amendments by City Councilor Tito Jackson.^[130][131]

In 2002, the FBI opened a corruption probe into Menino, which it ultimately closed without any charges. The probe was in response to a Boston Herald article which questioned the appropriateness of comments Menino was shown making during a segment on the television series Boston 24/7. The comments showed Menino appearing to threaten a Sprint Corporation attorney that he would award a Boston Housing Authority contract to their competitor AT&T because AT&T had sponsored a summer youth program for the city, while Sprint had failed to take similar initiative. Menino defended these comments as a "joke". The Boston Globe found there was no actual telecommunications contracts that were up for bid when Menino made these comments.^[132]

Criticism of Menino included accusations that he took actions as mayor that benefited his supporters and punished his foes.^[91] Menino, known to hold grudges, did not sky away from publicly calling out perceived political enemies.^[133]

Menino enjoyed strong popularity. Menino's perennial popularity garnered him the tongue-in-cheekepithet "Mayor for Life."^[134] In July 2012, it was reported that Menino had an 82% approval rating.^[135]

Menino made appearances at community events, such as parades and community meetings.^[80] Surveys, such ones conducted in April 2008, in May 2009, and March 2013 for The Boston Globe by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, showed that, at one point, more than half of the city's residents had reported having at one point personally met Menino, an immense share of residents for a big city mayor.^{[80][136][137][138]}

Menino, who famously was dubbed, and even styled himself, as an "urban mechanic", had a reputation for focusing strongly on "nuts and bolts" issues.^[52][80] The "urban mechanic" nickname had both positive and negative connotations to it.^[52] He had been given this nickname in late 1994.^[54]

Menino enjoyed high approval ratings among Boston residents.

In March 2013, a Boston Globe poll not only showed Menino with a strong approval rating, but also found that nearly three-fourths of respondents believed that the city was heading in the "right direction".^[139][140]

^α 52% strongly approve, 30% somewhat approve, 5% somewhat disapprove, 3% strongly disapprove

^β 39.8% strongly approve, 31.3% somewhat approve, 3.0% lean towards approval, 2.1% lean toward disapproval, 8.0% somewhat disapprove, 5.8% strongly disapprove

• Timeline of Boston, 1990s–2010s
• Other Boston mayoralties:
  • Mayoralty of Raymond Flynn
  • Mayoralty of Marty Walsh
  • Mayoralty of Michelle Wu