The question isn't being posed to fault Menino for not doing something, I'm genuinely curious to identify the spaces and places which have been significantly improved due to his influence. The Strand Theater and the slow growth of the Seaport District come to mind, but I can't think of anywhere else in the bulk of the city which has seen major physical changes. I'm thinking about it for two reasons.
First, he might run for a 5th term. Does he deserve it? Has the city improved noticeably or are we stagnating in goodness rather than excelling to greatness? I don't know how what the candidates for mayor would do if they were elected, but I'm not opposed to seeing a new mayor in place either.
Second, recently I've been reading articles about grand visions other leaders have for their cities. Bloomberg has ambitious plans for New York and Sarkozy has his for Paris. We've also seen how Shanghai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Dubai have been steered toward growth, with more cities can be expected to do the same once the economic downturn is over. So where is that going to leave Boston in the long run? Has Menino laid out any plans to keep Boston attractive?
Although far from perfect, Boston schools are better now than they were 15 years ago.
Posted by: Adam Gaffin | Saturday, March 14, 2009 at 03:52 PM