We learned last night why Mayor Tom Menino relishes debates as much as a date with the dentist’s drill. But we also learned why none of his three challengers has yet broken free of the pack and established himself as the clear choice for those ready for change after 16 years of Menino rule.
Menino managed to avoid blowing his top as City Councilors Michael Flaherty and Sam Yoon and businessman Kevin McCrea pounded him with criticism on everything from schools to public safety in the one-hour televised debate. But beyond clearing that low bar, the mayor was every bit the tongue-tied performer we have come to expect. It was not just Menino’s elocution that lacked clarity; it was as often his line of thinking. Menino resorted to stock bromides about making the city work for all neighborhoods when a specific question was posed. For a 16-year incumbent who has insisted that the race is about the future, not the past, Menino failed to make a forceful case for what he’ll do over the next four years. But that may have been intentional: The bolder his vows for an unprecedented fifth term, the more they will raise questions about why he hasn’t made those things happen over his first four.
Of his challengers, Yoon seemed the most poised and to have arrived with a clear message: that the unbridled power of the mayor’s office has turned Boston into a near-dictatorship, a place where one man makes every decision and where good policy suffers as a result. But Yoon never seemed to get beyond that point to articulate a strong vision of where he will take the city. His call for a loosening of mayoral power sometimes left him sounding like a guy running to be Boston’s chief facilitator of civic dialogue, not a leader with bold ideas for schools, city services, or development. He gave glimpses of his ideas on those issues, but too often got lost in the wonky weeds of process and procedure.
McCrea, the clear long shot of the race who can afford to throw caution to the wind, did just that, decrying what he called the corruption in City Hall under Menino’s 16-year reign. For someone with no experience on the public stage, he was composed and pointed in his specific lines of attack on everything from a tax break given to a downtown office tower to the recent sale of a city-owned lot to a Menino supporter. It was not immediately clear, however, that the dealings were as nefarious as McCrea was clearly suggesting. Flaherty, meanwhile, seemed flat, offering serviceable answers to most questions but not doing anything to stand out and establish himself as the clear alternative to the status quo.
Menino hardly looked invincible last night. But to give him a real run for the money, one of his challengers will have to spark some real excitement and make a clearer case for why it’s time for him to go. That will take a combination of crisply argued criticism, smart-sounding ideas, and the ability to inspire and rally voters who have become accustomed to drab campaigns and workaday candidates and city leaders. As a tag team, Menino’s challengers brought some of those ingredients to the table. But one of them will have to start showing signs that he is the whole package if the race is to become a real contest.
