Is former Suffolk County District Attorney Ralph Martin considering a run for mayor of Boston? There's a piece in the Globe today by political reporter Michael Jonas that says Martin is meeting with leaders in the public, private and non-profit sectors to talk about issues facing the city, though no one -- Martin included -- is saying publicly that he will run.Mayor Menino, first elected in 1993, has not indicated a desire to step down at the end of this term two years from now. The 65-year-old Menino wields considerable power and unseating him would be a difficult task. The story says, "there are many who think the city would benefit from a change and see a crying need for fresh ideas and a fresh start in City Hall," but "virtually no one in the city's leadership class will say so publicly."
A Martin candidacy would likely be the strongest Menino has faced. The former DA, who lives in Jamaica Plan, is currently a partner at a Boston law firm and chairman of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. City Councilor Michael Flaherty is another name I've heard as a possible competitor to Menino. One tidbit that may or may not mean something: Flaherty once worked under Martin in the Suffolk DA's office.
2 comments:
The City and the State would definitely benefit from some competition in the races for office. The deeply entrenched pols, who refuse even to debate other candidates are far too comfortable in their fiefdoms. We could do with a change in leadership at all levels of government. The founders intended for the Constitution to constrain our government far more than our current legislators or courts have allowed. They would never have imagined that generations of professional politicians, with no purpose but to seek and hold public office, would run what started as part time jobs for the citizens of our country.
I agree. Maybe Menino is in trouble.
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