Results tagged “mayormenino”

The Phoenix has raised a bit of a flap over a Globe poll that suggests overall satisfaction with Mayor Tom Menino's performance and a greater affection for Menino than for mayoral election rival Michael Flaherty. 52% are likely to vote for Menino; 32% for Flaherty.

We could see it coming. The Secretary of State has ordered the seizure of city computers due to suspicion that Menino aide Michael Kineavy has been deleting emails in violation of public records law. The state has ordered the city to attempt to recover the emails. The administration was able to locate just 18 e-mails to or from Kineavy in the period from Oct. 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009. Considering we get that many emails an hour, something seems sketchy.

It's been Sam Yoon's chorus for some time, and now the Globe is joining in to ask whether Boston Mayor Thomas Menino may have too much power. In a detailed article today, the paper proclaims 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." According to the Globe, Menino's machine is based on the Office of Neighborhood Services, which in theory uses local liaisons to respond to neighborhood concerns but in practice may be planting the mayor's agenda locally. From Menino moles at challenger rallies to Facebook messages harassing folks who join opponents' groups, there are a variety of questionable activities that the Globe uncovers. Gems include statements “We have the permit... Put me on your fundraiser list,’’ from folks who've received favors that were clearly more than capable of winning them over to the Menino camp.

Justin Barrett, the Boston cop who called Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. a “banana-eating jungle monkey" in an e-mail is suing the city of Boston for violating his civil rights and harming his reputation. Really. He is. Barrett is mad that Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Police Commissioner Edward Davis both publically stated he should be fired. Davis did state that Barrett's due process rights would be fully administered during the termination process.

The last thing Boston's political scene needs is some Karl Rove-style tactics injected to its already tension-filled campaign season. But, that's just what we've got from the folks at ChangeforBoston.org despite their alleged support for reforming what ails Boston.

In a strange instance of a politician seeming to do something potentially useful and community-minded, Mayor Menino has offered to finance the recently-shuttered Bay State Banner with a $200,000 loan. This type of public gesture of support for a publication (particularly a publication about minority issues) makes us wonder how the government might help finance other struggling papers in the future. Is this the start of public funding for journalism (and journalism pandering more than ever to certain politicians)? Or is this an instance of a politician trying to get votes from a certain demographic? Keep an eye on how this plays out. (Or, if you're a Globe commenter, wish that the mayor would fix potholes instead of support journalism.)

When budget cuts put several of the city's horses out of work, their riders began to plan a farewell celebration for the noble beasts. After all, what better way to say goodbye to your favorite mount than with a little parade? But Mayor Menino, ever thrifty, stomped on the idea of an equestrian celebration, allegedly either because the unit's fate has not been completely decided, or because he didn't even know about the celebration and therefore couldn't have rejected it. Either way, there's a city council hearing about saving the horsies next Tuesday, so there may be no need for a parade.

A toilet. You can go down to the hardware store and grab one of those for less than $200, right? Maybe pay the plumber a little for installation and all that. But if you're the City of Boston, you need to go all out and spend two years and $300,000 to create a coin-operated toilet at Christopher Columbus Park on the waterfront that desperate people will be unable to afford and normal people will be unwilling to use. (Especially when everybody knows you can just pee at the Marriott, anyway.)

• Wellesley goes all H1N1. [Wellesley Townsman]
• As does Somerville.. [Somerville Journal]
• And the Public Garden goes swan (flu-free... we hope). [Globe]

Today, Mayor Menino will present Boston's proposed 2010 budget to the city council. The budget balancing magic derives from laying off more than 500 workers, including 212 teachers and classroom aides, 67 police officers, 44 police cadets, 39 community center employees, and 26 library workers. Even horses are being let go: some of the police officers are mounted patrol, meaning that 24 horses will have to find new adoptive homes. Those figures are somewhat prematurely alarmist, though: successful wage negotiations, particularly with unions, could mean reduction in hours or wages rather than layoffs, and resignations can cover some of the teacher cuts. Stimulus money from the federal government might also help out. All is not lost, but there is cause for concern.

Last week, we wondered what the new economic trend piece would be. Well, we wonder no more: it's the "Pity the poor (ex-)executives" piece. Forced from Executive Pay to Hourly Wage, the lamentation of former executives pushed into janitorial work and other "survival jobs" by the atrocious economy, has been among the New York Times' most emailed pieces since its publication on Saturday, and continues in the privileged tradition of white people being shocked to discover that life isn't all peaches and cream outside the corner office (and then arguing about who discovered this first).

Yesterday, the Herald brought us one of the most amazing and disturbing photos ever: a pajama- and plaid-clad (baby) Mayor Menino in Santa Obama's lap. Accompanying the photo was an article listing what Menino wants from the North Pole White House. It was begging for a LOLGov caption, so we made one. What would be yours?

-- There's no denying it, the holiday season is upon us. For those brave enough to man the kitchen this Thanksgiving, here's a dinner guide for you. [The Hungry Mouse]

The instant analysis of Senator Barack Obama's vice-presidential pick is that it's at least partially a defense against the perception that Obama is weak on foreign policy. Does newly newsworthy Senator Biden agree?

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Our Popular Mayor did the honors and presented the capsule's contents to State Representative Byron Rushing, who accepted on behalf of the Roxbury Historical Society. Other luminaries on hand included City Councillor Chuck Yancey and Representative Diane Wilkerson.

Next time you are driving and you feel like nudging a slow cyclist, hold yourself in check, not just because you would be a huge asshole if you did so. You might wind up running over the mayor.

--Mayor Menino has suspended one of his own employees, the head of the Department of Public Works, for letting an employee work from her parent's house in Venezuela, which probably wouldn't have been a big deal if the arrangement hadn't lasted for five months. [Boston Globe]

--Obligatory stories about high gas prices over Memorial Day. Thanks to high gas prices, now you have to dig for conversation topics with family members at home instead of on the Cape. [Boston Herald]

                      

Bostonist was permitted to set foot in Boylston Street's gleaming ice palace of an Apple Store this morning, in advance of its Friday opening. An Apple spokespersonage gestured and informed us that the store's floor is from Italy and that the store's employees are from the Boston area. (Bostonist recognized and was recognized by a former Diesel barista.) The staircase, we're assuming, is from the future. Mayor Menino blessed the whole endeavor and laid hands on a MacBook.

--Mayor Menino hops on a bike in honor of Bike Week. [Boston Globe]

Yesterday, City Council President Maureen Feeney's civic summit brought about 400 people together to get people more involved in city government. Mayor Menino even showed up, although Michael Pahre noted, "Mayor Thomas Menino breezed in -- and out -- of the convention center probably feeling a little bit unwelcome" since it wasn't his idea. Adam Gaffin at Universal Hub live-blogged the event and summed up the takeaways, with education and crime high on the list of concerns.

A survey revealed that 72 percent of Bostonians are largely happy with the way mayor Tom Menino has been running things. In fact, the Globe headline declared the city was "smitten," which is not a word Bostonist would use to describe how the city's residents view the mayor. Then again, he appears to be quite a hit with the ladies.

--Thanks to the recession we're not in, teens will have fewer summer jobs. And bored teens sometimes become restless teens whom no one wants in their yards. [Boston Globe]

In March, the Boston Zoning Commission gave the green light to a Boston City Council proposal to restrict the number of college age tenants in a rental unit to four. Now the legality of the plan will be challenged in court.

--Mayor Menino has a hotline, but there's no system to track the complaints. [Boston Globe]

Boston may be the Athens of America and the most collegiate of American cities, but our mayor doesn't get by on professorial aloofness. Tom Menino is an old school, roll up the sleeves politician.

Today's Globe featured a story on the tremendous pull that police and fire unions have on city government. Roderick Fraser Jr. heads the fire department, but Local 718 Ed Kelly has his own ideas for the direction of the fire department.