The Dig interviews Michael Flaherty on his bid to get back on the City Council and asks him if he stays in touch with the latter half of Floon, now down in DC. He does:
[H]e definitely misses Boston, and quite frankly wishes that he never had to move, but after having run for mayor I think that there was a tremendous amount of pressure, and he was having difficulty finding a job because the administration seemed to be going out of their way to prevent that from happening.
The state Attorney General's office said today no charges are warranted against mayoral aide Michael Kineavy for deleting e-mail because he was just doing what he and other City Hall employees were told to do: Purge their inboxes every day because messages would be stored on a back up server - which turned out not to be the case.
Mayor Thomas M. Menino today took his record fifth oath of office at Faneuil Hall.
In his inauguration speech (complete text), Menino said his next four years would be devoted to four main goals: Transforming education in Boston, creating a high-tech research community on the waterfront, improving basic city services through new technologies and bringing the city's residents and neighborhoods closer together.
First Michael Flaherty, now at-large council candidate Andrew Kenneally (also click on that link to read what Kenneally and Tomas Gonzalez told students at BU about surviving a losing campaign).
Following his loss, he's grown a beard. A goatee to be exact.
Flaherty's beard: At City Council meeting today.
Chris Lovett talks to the recently victorious but still presumed embattled city councilor, who tells him he'll run again in 2011, then retire before the 2013 elections. Turner pre-endorsed Tito Jackson for 2013, Lovett writes.
Matt O'Malley, who knows something about running for an at-large city-council seat, analyzes the numbers - and suggests why Tito Jackson should consider running for Chuck Turner's district seat in two years.
The preliminary precinct breakdowns from the city show that Michael Flaherty actually carried Ward 5 (Back Bay, Beacon Hill and part of Fenway), although barely (2,544 to 2,472). In the September preliminary, that was Menino country.
Floon also carried the day in Ward 16 in Dorchester, another area Menino took in September. Obviously, though, that and the Flaherty strongholds of Charlestown, South Boston and neighboring Ward 7 in Dorchester were not enough to overcome Menino romps in areas such as Hyde Park, Roslindale and Roxbury.
Matt O'Malley, who has much better eyes, dives into the numbers in much greater depth. On Blue Mass. Group, Bob has still more analysis of the numbers.
The Globe declares Menino A leader in touch, in gear. The Herald looks ahead to 2013 and wonders if Menino will really stick around that long.
John Carroll predicts Menino will regret running for that fifth term. David Bernstein hopes Menino uses some of his political capital to deal with "some very difficult things that need doing." Scot Lehigh starts with the nagging. Peter Gelzinis talks to some voters, provides a sort of O. Henry ending.
Boston today gave Tom Menino a record fifth term today, re-electing him by a 57-43 margin over challenger Michael Flaherty.
"Let's be clear: We haven't made history with this election, but we will in what we create of it," Menino told supporters. History will not record the win until we make "a new Boston Miracle for our kids," he said. "Complacency is the highest hurdle we face. Let's fend off the temptation to rest on past accomplishments."
At-large candidate Tito Jackson lets a voter have cake at Holy Name School in West Roxbury this morning.
What are you seeing out there?
Only instead of kids at the door, it's politicians on the phone. John Kerry robo-called in support of his good friend Ayanna Pressley. Not one minute after I sat back down on the couch, Ayanna her-robo-self called. I hope we don't run out of candy - or my wife's patience.
2009 At-Large City Council Debate on Parks and Open Spaces
HIGHLIGHTS
Overall, the at-large city council candidates showed us they understand a range of issues. The laugh of the night came with the audience question, "What does the Asian Long Horned Beetle mean to you? ?Stumped, Felix Arroyo answered, "Well if it has horns, it must not be good."
Great ideas we heard included:
Kevin McCrea explains why he's voting for Flaherty tomorrow - and how he almost endorsed Menino instead, he and his wife even went to dinner with the Meninos at Hammersley's Bistro in the South End. In the end, he writes it came down to a single issue:
WBUR declares Chuck Turner kind of a cult leader, says that helps explain why the Innocent Until Proven Guilty Councilor will win tomorrow.
The Globe compares Menino and Flaherty on education and crime.
Scot Lehigh reports on a visit by King Thomas the Eternal to the Globe, did not come away impressed.
David Kravitz, a Flaherty backer at Blue Mass. Group, dissects the Globe's endorsement of Menino, doesn't find much meat there.
The Globe endorses Menino.
The Herald reports Flaherty is going after the party-hardy vote and details the Kenneally-mobile.
John Carroll gets his crank on, describing Menino as "his usual incoherent self" at a WBUR forum yesterday and calling Flaherty a "Boston mayoral footnote."
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