‘He touched people in every neighborhood’

During the campaign, in every single Boston neighborhood, I heard advice and thoughts from residents and stakeholders about the issues most important to them: education, jobs, poverty, public safety. But moreover, I heard from so many folks who had met the Mayor, who had a story about interacting with him.

Mayor Menino’s legacy is significant – from the bike lanes in Allston, to the recycling compactors in Beacon Hill, to the booming development in South Boston’s waterfront. But his legacy is more than that. It’s the impact he has had on the people who love our City the way he does.
I appreciate his tenacity, dedication, and persistence in ensuring that Boston lives up to its “Hub of the Universe” name. He has touched so many of us during his tenure as “The Neighborhood Mayor,” and one of the highest priorities for me as mayor is to reach people the way he did.

Mayor Menino’s chapter is the longest in Boston’s history of so many exceptional mayors. Boston survived – and, in many ways, thrived – during times of economic challenges like the Great Recession, and during times of tragedy like the Marathon bombing. He helped establish a culture of corporate citizenship, making it clear that doing business here meant investing here, in our schools, our people, and our neighborhoods. Boston has grown through Mayor Menino’s work.
To Mayor Menino: Congratulations on 20 years of service to our City. The students at Boston University are privileged to have you, and I wish you the best of luck going forward. Thank you for all that you’ve done for me and for Boston.  

– Mayor-elect Martin J. Walsh