With Boston's mayoral election five days away, it's fair to say that plenty of Bostonians are less than enthused by Mayor Tom Menino. It's also fair to say that there's deep skepticism about whether challenger Maura Hennigan would be an upgrade.
Today's Globe offers a
Q-and-A on Boston's public schools that captures this dynamic perfectly. An early exchange between Menino and the Globe's Michael Levenson highlights the mayor's defensiveness and poverty of vision:
"Q. If there were a magic wand that you could wave and get some new initiative into the schools, do you have any idea of what that might be?
A. Well, I'd make sure every child has a family life.
Q. Sure. But I mean an actual policy issue.
A. A policy issue? Maybe more guidance counselors in the high schools. Helping kids.
I mean, you want me to say something that takes money. You want me to say, 'Oh, the mayor's going to promise this, promise that.' I'm not like that. I'm a realistic person...."
Ugh.
But then comes Hennigan. Weirdly, her support for returning to an elected school committee goes unmentioned. (If Hennigan didn't mention this, shame on her; if she did, and if the Globe excised it, shame on Morrissey Boulevard.) She attributes declining enrollment in the Boston Public Schools to a lack of affordable housing, without mentioning parental concern about educational quality--something she's discussed frequently on the campaign trail--or frustration with the convoluted student-assignment plan. (Repeat last parenthetical.) And she suggests creating a
state requirement mandating that all students attending Boston colleges and universities mentor a Boston Public School student before they're allowed to graduate. It's a bad idea which, thankfully, will never go anywhere.
Reading this week's mayoral endorsements in the
Globe, the
Herald, and the
Phoenix, you get the feeling that the various papers really wish they didn't have to back either candidate. This is why.