Boston Mayor Tom Menino, who did all he could to avoid head-to-head sessions with opponents in past races, said today he’ll agree to three debates with his challengers, and he acted like he didn’t know what all the fuss was about. “I said in my announcement that I would debate,” he told reporters. 

That’s not quite how the Boston Globe reported his April 22 kickoff:

… as in past campaigns, Menino showed little appetite to square off over his record and his vision in face-to-face debates, which the campaigns of Councilor Michael F. Flaherty, Councilor Sam Yoon, and South End developer Kevin McCrea all demanded.

“We’ll debate the issues,” the mayor said, growing testy as he answered reporters’ questions after his announcement. “Did you hear what I say? We’ll debate the issues. Next one? Do I have to repeat that line again? We’ll debate the issues that face our city.”

Pressed again, he appeared to relent, a bit, but stopped short of any commitment to a debate.

Despite today’s announcement, as in the past, Menino (photo from campaign website) pointed to all the challenges facing Boston and said he has much more important things to do than run around the city debating his opponents at every turn. “The thing is, as mayor you have to deal with the issues. You can’t spend all your time campaigning,” he said. 

The setting for his comments: the Public Garden, where he presided in front of a gaggle of television cameras over the springtime release of swans Romeo and Juliet back into the garden’s lagoon.