Menino Going Nowhere

Published Jul 09 2007, 01:43 PM by David S. Bernstein

I think Donovan Slack has it right in her article today about Boston's mayoral hopefuls: Menino intends to run again, under the self-justification that nobody in the field can do the job the way it needs doing; and several in that field feel they have to run anyway, because they can't wait around forever for the opportunity.

No surprise that Michael Flaherty and Ralph Martin are all-but-declared for '09. I'm a little surprised that Maureen Feeney -- who is universally assumed to be waiting for the city clerk's office to open up -- would publicly speak of her mayoral ambitions.

Menino's not getting a free pass in '09. That doesn't mean he can be beaten, but it should affect the level of public criticism of his performance. Expect a much more contentious public debate than in recent memory.