--I find it absolutely inexcusable that Menino gave no shout-out to Jim Rice. I'm not kidding, this really, really bothers me.
--Menino said the word "neighborhood" 14 times in the speech. He also managed to specifically mention Allston, Bowdoin/Geneva, Brighton, Bunker Hill, Dorchester, East Boston, Grove Hall, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Mission Hill, Roxbury, and West Roxbury. Neighborhood notably unmentioned: Michael Flaherty's, South Boston.
--Menino gave a shout-out to an entrepreneur named Marty Walsh, prompting great titillation amongst those seated near the state representative of the same name. I'm looking into unsubstantiated reports that the entrepreneur's name was really Jim Marzilli, but Marty Walsh was the name he gave to the authorities.
--Anthony Petruccelli, the state senator representing the 1st Suffolk and Middlesex district, was seated in the fourth row. Robert Travaglini, who is a lobbyist now, and not the state senator representing the 1st Suffolk and Middlesex district, was seated in the second row. This strikes me as unfair, but one local pol compared them to Dustin Pedroia and Wade Boggs: the Hall-of-Famer gets the star treatment.
--No shout-out in the speech for Rev. Gregory Groover becoming chair of the school committee. (See my note in an earlier post.)
--At-large council wannabe Andrew Kenneally could be seen watching from the balcony, dreaming of one day sitting in the front row. Doug Bennett was in the house, but did not get a seat inside and presumably watched the telecast upstairs. I did not see Arroyo the younger or the other announced candidates, but I might have missed them. Ayanna Pressley, who should run, was there but demurred on the question.
--I did not get a definitive answer from Mike Ross, but he indicated that a roll call of councilors present would likely be part of his new dictum for minutes to be taken and made public for all council meetings and hearings. I can neither confirm nor deny that the question was put in my head by a Menino aide who hopes to embarrass Sam Yoon by demonstrating his rate of absence.
--Charles Yancey made it on time. Which is more than he managed to do for the recent vote to elect Ross council president.
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