He was, as Brian Mooney led the paper-of-record’s obit-of-record, “a colossal political figure who helped transform Boston into a world-class city during 16 often turbulent years as mayor.”  But beyond that sweeping 4,800-word account of the life and legacy of Kevin White, it has been hard for media types to boil down to its essence the mark left by a man as complicated as White, who governed during a time more tumultuous than anything Boston has even remotely witnessed in the almost three decades since he left office.

The Globe, for its lead Metro story on Saturday, the morning after White died in his Beacon Hill home, borrowed for its headline a quote from one of its man-on-the-street voices: “A nice guy, and great mayor.”  White would have no quarrel with the second part, but the first seems far too syrupy for a guy of White’s ambition, intellect, and sometimes brooding, inward-looking persona.  

White was the pivotal figure in at a pivotal time in the city’s history, a 16-year span in which Boston, through the spasms of the violence-filled busing years, Vietnam War protests, and the only presidential resignation in the country’s history, began to remake itself from parochial backwater to the world-class Hub its forefathers had fashioned two centuries earlier.

Brian McGrory captured the transformation that White presided over. The physical remaking of the city is cited as White’s chief legacy, both by admirers and critics.  The blossoming of the city skyline, the move to capitalize on the city’s waterfront perch, and the opening of the new Faneuil Hall Marketplace are all testament to his vision of city that could be so much more than it was.  White, who rode into office as a liberal reformer, is also rightly credited with bringing in a cadre of idealistic young aides who helped him think expansively about the potential for city government; many of them would confirm White’s thirst for big-thinking talent by going on to great heights in government, business, and the nonprofit sector.  

But White’s reign had many chapters. When 77-year-old South Boston resident Kay O’Connor tells the Globe, “He was all for neighborhood,” she must have been remembering his early years, when Little City Halls sprang up to bring city services closer to the people.  By his last term, White was increasingly an isolated figure, heavily criticized for a focus on downtown development at the expense of attention to the city’s neighborhoods.  

And though he is credited with trying to keep the peace during the busing years, he was not always a profile in courage as he managed the city through a court-order that he had no control over.  Adrian Walker turns to Mel King, who offers a respectful but honest appraisal of what was probably White’s biggest failing.

WBUR’s David Boeri remembers White in a rich and well-told reflection. Ray Flynn, one of his chief nemeses, oddly gets in on the action in this tribute in Sunday’s Herald.  White, who had national ambitions and might have been the 1972 Democratic nominee for vice president — but for the intercession of Ted Kennedy — would be happy to know his passing was on the homepage of the New York Times.

The city is preparing for a royal send-off, which is how the man dubbed variously “Mayor Deluxe” and “Kevin from Heaven” wanted it.  It all feels a bit like a time warp, with White’s longtime press aide George Regan stepping back to work, this time as the family spokesman.  Even with his former boss gone, Regan was in full spin mode, telling the Globe that the with all of the praise gushing forth, “If Kevin was still around, he might seek reelection.”  

                                                                                                                                                    –MICHAEL JONAS

BEACON HILL

Robert Maginn, the new chairman of the state Republican Party, has hired another GOP operative to work for his software firm, the Globe reports.

MUNICIPAL MATTERS

Tired of hearing service at City Hall depends on who you know, a Methuen city councilor files a resolution requiring all city employees to work in a “competent, thorough, and respectful manner,” the Eagle-Tribune reports.

The Berkshire Eagle questions the Department of Public Health’s response to a brucellosis scare in Sheffield.

NATIONAL POLITICS/WASHINGTON

FDA employees are suing the agency after the discovery of government documents detailing surveillance of the employees’ personal email, the Washington Post reports.

ELECTION 2012

The Weekly Standard says President Obama may be in better shape since the fall but his vulnerabilities still come through in a number of key demographics, especially his disapproval rating among white males.

Meet the Boston lawyer who manages Mitt Romney’s quarter-of-a-billion-dollar nest egg. Frank Rich counters the argument that perma-candidate Romney is the GOP’s most fully-vetted commodity, saying the “Mitt Romney we’ve been sold since 2008 is a lazy media construct, a fictional creation, or maybe even a hoax.” Romney and Newt Gingrich trade some final sharp blows.

Jeb Bush: Still staying out of the GOP race, despite a flood of phone calls from the Romney camp.

The MetroWest Daily News applauds Senator Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren for attempting to rein in outside spending by super PACs.

This is what the post-Fox Tea Party Express looks like — five dozen people milling around, making jokes about ACORN.

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Freddie Mac is betting against struggling homeowners, reports NPR and Pro Publica.

EDUCATION

More than 75,000 school suspensions were handed out during the 2009-2010 school year, with the 3,000 in Springfield topping the list, reports the New England Center for Investigative Reporting.

The White House introduces a Race to the Top program for college affordability and completion, Governing reports. Time’s Andew Rotherham says he has as much chance of playing for the Red Sox as President Obama does at controlling the cost of college.

The Westport School Committee voted to add $200,000 to the budget for textbooks and teachers but then one member withdrew his vote because of a conflict of interest and the measure failed on reconsideration.

The union representing school bus drivers in Boston warned the company in charge of district transportation before the school year that buses could not keep pace with the route schedule it had developed. The school year has been plagued by chronically late drop-offs.

Pittsfield’s public school system expects to end the current fiscal year with a slight surplus, the Berksire Eagle reports.

Community college leaders in the Pioneer Valley aren’t thrilled with Governor Patrick’s plan to consolidate control over community colleges through one state board.

HEALTH CARE

Mitt Romney has vowed to repeal ObamaCare if elected president. It may sound good on the Republican stump, but health policy guru John McDonough doubts he would actually move to nix the whole law. If you don’t believe him, writes McDonough, take it from former Minnesota senator — and Romney backer — Norm Coleman.

The Globe reports that 1 in 5 state residents is now covered under a “global payments” plan designed to reduce health care costs, rather than traditional fee-for-service insurance. CommonWealth looked at the turn toward global payments last spring.

Sugar, an ArtsEmerson production, puts a needed spotlight on the diabetes epidemic, comments Mass. General Hospital physician Karen Carlson in CommonWealth.

TRANSPORTATION

MassINC research director Ben Forman suggests Massachusetts take a regional approach to funding public transportation in an op-ed in the Patriot Ledger.

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

Of the seven untraceable oil spills in the nation’s harbors in November, five occurred in New Bedford.

The Christian Science Monitor has a detailed look at the problems associated with construction of wind turbines in developing countries.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

The FBI is looking to develop an application to monitor and analyze updates on social media such as Twitter and Facebook that could contain “emerging threats.”

Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone talks with Jon Keller about his support for the “three strikes” bill and other efforts to get repeat offenders off the streets.

Shirley’s former town administrator is sentenced to three years in prison in connection with illegal audio and video recordings he made at town hall, the Lowell Sun reports.

MEDIA

The nonprofit group that oversees local cable programming in Stoughton has moved a show laced with profanity and jokes and commentary about sex toys, pornography, and the elderly to a 2 a.m. time slot but admits there’s nothing else they can do despite complaints from viewers.