In a thoughtful and insightful endorsement, the globe wants to see a Flaherty vs. Menino final in November.
All three performed a vital service in fueling the first real contest over the direction of the city in 16 years. They cast a spotlight on Menino’s closed-door development policies, his unfulfilled education agenda, and his gut-instinct approach to governance. They drew blood and raised questions – some valid, some overblown – about Menino’s fitness for a fifth term. They started a debate that must continue until November.
The challenger who makes the final should be the best suited by skills, experience, and clarity of vision to run the city in Menino’s stead.
That candidate is Michael Flaherty.
They also tell us why they select a white, Irish candidate from South Boston stating: –emphasis mine–
Though he came from a political family in South Boston, the scene of past racial tensions, Flaherty sought to be a servant of all neighborhoods. His outreach to emerging communities, particularly Hispanics, won him support from unexpected quarters.
TOM MENINO has ruled Boston for 16 years, and the city is better for it. Menino speaks to all the communities of his increasingly diverse city. His determination to maintain a vibrant downtown while spreading resources to the neighborhoods is fundamentally the right approach to governing Boston.
The Globe makes it clear that Tom Menino has done a good job. They want Michael Flaherty in October and November, to prove that he can do better.
Particularly on the Senate race – đŸ™‚ It’s funny to look on Mike Capuano’s Facebook and see people from the various Boston mayoral camps all supporting Mike C. See we can agree on some things!
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p>The Globe, taking a long historical view toward the future of our city, has done a good job on this I think.
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p>ITIOFD and to nobody’s surprise, I’m working with Menino.
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p>Menino has been adequate, and in some significant ways inadequate, but the only one who could do better is Flaherty and we’re not even sure of that.
If you go to Boston.com and watch Sam Yoon’s video during his endorsement meeting with the Globe, you’ll see a politician whose criticisms of Menino and the strong mayoral system are trenchant. The Globe seems to extoll the strong mayoral system after a series of startling exposes on Menino’s power, so it comes as a surprise that they’ve failed to read their own words. Sam is the only candidate who’s saying the system is broken, and that Boston is an anomoly when it comes to local governance. Somehow I suspect if these words were coming out of a white man’s mouth, the Globe editorial staff would have been more receptive.
In my ward committee in Jamaica Plain, Flaherty couldn’t even get nominated for an endorsement. The vote went down 11 for Yoon and 9 for Menino.
ITIOFD, I am a volunteer for the Yoon campaign.
That really strikes me as unfair. It’s not like they didn’t jump on board for Deval Patrick and Barack Obama — in the primaries as well as the general elections.
you’re playing the race
is.
I don’t understand how the Globe could seriously endorse a candidate that they just spent the last 2 weeks lambasting for his iron-clad hold on the City, not to mention the violation of state law! Furthermore, the article touts Flaherty as the “next best thing” to Menino – something I think most people in Boston would agree, isn’t exactly a compliment right now.
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p>What we need to come to grips with is that our system of government in Boston IS BROKEN. As much good as the Mayor may have done in the past, Boston is now suffering under his complacent leadership and we need someone in office who is going to transform City Hall, not maintain the status quo.
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As soon as the email and its companion story broke, I knew they were leaning towards giving Flaherty the nomination. To read the coverage, you would think Flaherty’s people were the only ones being harassed by Menino’s, or that he was the only one who spoke at the press conferences. Flaherty and his people clearly fed the Globe, and I think it’s interesting that he had a prominent ad on Boston.com. Silly… not that newspapers make decisions these days based on revenue.
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p>The Globe’s argument is that Menino has been good for the city, and Flaherty is Menino-lite. Menino has not been good for the city in the last eight years- ask the majority of the parents who are in the school system. Ask the people who walk by what used to be Filene’s all the time. Flaherty wants it both ways- he’s the change candidate, but he’s on the Menino continuum. Which is it?
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p>Sam Yoon is the only change candidate, and Boston needs a change.
Establishment endorsement either way. Flaherty gets into the runoff, and reveals what was in the lost emails. Business as usual continues whatever happens.
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