Here's the gist of the new
Boston Globe-CBS 4 poll on Boston's mayoral race: Bostonians think the city has serious problems, but they don't blame
Tom Menino.
Hmm. If voters don't think Menino's even partially responsible for rising crime or troubled schools or the dearth of affordable housing, how can
Maura Hennigan--or anyone else, for that matter--hope to unseat him?
According to the aformentioned poll, 66 percent of respondents said they'd vote for Menino if the election were held today, while 27 percent said they'd go for Hennigan. Expect the actual margin to be considerably closer, however. Menino's critics tend to be afraid of making their opinions known publicly, lest they meet with His Honor's wrath. Witness the unwillingness of "Andrew," who's identified as a Hennigan supporter near the end of the story, to use his last name. It's a safe bet that several of the 500 respondents queried for the poll didn't want to risk voicing their supporter for Hennigan, even in a confidential setting. Having said that, these numbers won't help the Hennigan camp's efforts to stir up interest in the race as the campaign enters the home stretch.