Mayor Tom Menino passed away 8 years ago today.

Submitted by Nobiting t3_yhcsit in boston

He was the city's longest-serving mayor from 1993 to 2014.

"Here’s what I see all across this great city – people working together to make Boston a better place to live and to raise children, to grow and pursue dreams.”

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Liqmadique t1_iudbthe wrote

Fuck Mumbles. He is beloved because he made a bunch of people rich by basically being a NIMBY. Nothing got built in Boston unless he personally OKed it and he kept favor with neighborhoods with this stance.

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UltravioletClearance t1_iuekv4i wrote

He did absolutely nothing to protect Boston's art community from being priced out. When people say Boston is boring this is why.

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RoaminRonin13 t1_iudp7e3 wrote

And in doing so left the BRA (now BPDA) saddled with this legacy of a notion of corruption. The BPDA in its current form is a net positive for the city (and has been since Walsh came in), but people can’t get over how shittily things worked under Menino’s cronyism and NIMBYism.

Now we’ve got Wu promising to kill a thing that is full of staff working hard to improve the city and hold developers accountable. The city has an organization that has transformed from an “Urban Renewal” monstrosity to something beyond a simple planning board, which has vision for growth and improvement, has broad powers to demand more (including cash payments) from large developments, and gives the city government teeth in dealing with development in the city. But everyone hates it because of some stories they have from the 90s and because of the Seaport. Thanks Mumbles.

Also, true to his being a NIMBY he didn’t even help out Hyde Park, which continues to be mostly a forgotten part of the city. Hyde Park square should be a thriving location, but I think it may be even worse off than it was 20+ years ago.

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disco_t0ast t1_iufmjb0 wrote

Nah, she's working on killing it BECAUSE they're corrupt shitbags.

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RoaminRonin13 t1_iufqp53 wrote

Feel free to provide examples of the BPDA post-Menino being “corrupt shitbags” and how it negatively impacted the public.

Edit: Also, absolutely fucking not. Wu’s doing it because she ran on a bunch of populist nonsense she can’t actually do anything about - like she ran for class president and promised no homework and extra recess. She has no functional plan for a post-BPDA City of Boston.

Edit2: Also, the BPDA - and the BRA before it - is fully controlled by the mayor. So the notion that Mumbles was cool and an “urban mechanic” (🤮) but that the BRA was “bad” is a joke. And the idea that the BPDA is corrupt and mayor Wu is going to fix it is also largely a joke - being as she could have done whatever she wanted to with the BPDA on day 1.

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disco_t0ast t1_iufsvhc wrote

Awww, except I don't need to provide "supporting evidence' to some clown on the internet for MY OPINION.

You, on the other hand, seem to be making some claims of fact you should probably consider backing up. You're clearly blinded with rage by your hatred of Wu.

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iacceptjadensmith t1_iudqy0m wrote

Dude had the firmest, most aggressive handshake i have ever received. Rip

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anurodhp t1_iud2qd9 wrote

A reminder that mayor of Boston is a lifetime appointment

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SpindriftRascal t1_iue4vft wrote

He was also absolutely ruthless, and happily practiced nepotism. Maybe that’s all mayors, I dunno. But he wasn’t this jolly cheerleader some people think.

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bakgwailo t1_iuem07n wrote

Yeah, although worth noting his FBI file was pretty clean.

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arichi t1_iudtzqd wrote

I miss him and especially all the names he would invent.

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riski_click t1_iuemj99 wrote

>"Here’s what I see all across this great city – people working together to make Boston a better place to live and to raise children, to grow and pursue dreams.”

and also..

"You might not have as many problems getting permits issued quickly if you use Suffolk as a general contractor"

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MrsPancakesSister t1_iudjmkx wrote

Damn, I left in 2011, and I can’t even remember reading about him passing away. 2014 was a very stressful year, including a major surgery on the other side of the world. But I feel very un-Bostonian for not knowing this or remembering it. He was the mayor for most of my time spent in Boston, Cambridge, and the MetroWest as an adult.

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GuDMarty t1_iudtq97 wrote

Yeah in 2014 I was wandering around Cambridge high on meth so I also didn’t realize he died and was metaphorically on the other side of the world so I feel your pain bro

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MrsPancakesSister t1_iudu2ge wrote

Well, damn. I hope life is better for you now. In my day, I used to wander around Cambridge high on weed, before it was legal. So I feel you a bit on that one

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GuDMarty t1_iududws wrote

Nah I’m fine lol that was like a decade ago I’m old now. But I didn’t realize he died then either though which isn’t very Bostonian or me either.

Mumbles was a legend

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ReverseBanzai t1_iudd6zj wrote

Back when nepotism was all the rage.

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pillbinge t1_iudfufj wrote

>"Here’s what I see all across this great city – people working together to make Boston a better place to live and to raise children, to grow and pursue dreams.”

I guess the people failed, given how fewer people will have kids in the city, stay here, and probably are getting priced out because they pursued their dreams.

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BandwagonReaganfan t1_iuezs4u wrote

Mumbles was the man! May Many Ortiz never forget him.RIP

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Dukeofdorchester t1_iudi9qw wrote

I’ll never forget the time he fell asleep at my buddy’s GED graduation.

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CoolAbdul t1_iuek81i wrote

No one loved Boston as much as that guy.

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[deleted] t1_iuecp0h wrote

Worst Mayor Ever.

…On so many levels. I suppose the good news for Walsh, Wu, and future players is that Mumbles set the bar of competence so incredibly low that anyone can look like a rock star by just not being a useless, petty, ignorant, back-stabbing suck ball.

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CoolAbdul t1_iuekkkd wrote

settle down, Howie.

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frauenarzZzt t1_iueyu6a wrote

Every time I'm reminded Howie Carr still exists I wish Kevin Weeks had had the balls.

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CoolAbdul t1_iuf28up wrote

Howie is just a loathsome opportunist exploiting the Herald demographic all the way to the bank. Every big city has one or two Howies. It's his True Believer followers who are the real accident waiting to happen.

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Id_Solomon t1_iud58vg wrote

  • The city is a pity.
  • People also compete (callously and ruthlessly) against each other.
  • Boston is an expensive place to live.
  • You're gonna have to make about six figures to raise children in Boston.
  • Gotta be a trust fund baby if you want to grow and "pursue dreams" in Boston.
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