BOSTON Mayor Thomas Menino took more risks yesterday than in past State of the City addresses. From the Strand Theater in Dorchester, he offered new initiatives, revisited the scenes of some of his administration's notable failures, and ratcheted up his confrontation with the city's aggressive firefighters union.
"I am astonished," he said, "by the union leaders' unwillingness to eliminate substance abuse and unethical personnel practices." He vowed to oppose any contract that does not include random drug and alcohol testing in the scandal-wracked fire department.
There was ample political subtext in the speech, which came from a mayor who is expected to seek an unprecedented fifth term next year. In November, Boston Public Library director Bernard Margolis, whose contract was not renewed, slammed Menino as "anti-intellectual." Menino isn't going to push Vaclav Havel off the list of philosopher-politicians, but his political shrewdness remains intact. He used yesterday's speech to name a poet laureate and promote public art, and called on School Superintendent Carol Johnson to double the number of advanced-placement classes in the next five years and establish International Baccalaureate programs at two city schools.
Menino put his credibility at stake with an explicit promise to reduce crime. Citing a 9 percent drop in violent crime last year, he said Police Commissioner Edward Davis had pledged to reduce such crimes by an additional 10 percent this year. Such specific promises are rare in big-city police departments.
Menino may have led with his chin again when he reopened the possibility of redrawing school assignment zones to save as much as $10 million on transportation costs. In 2004, a Menino-appointed task force failed to build consensus between white parents who favor neighborhood schools and minority parents who put more stock in school choice. But the biggest barrier is still the scarcity of schools in the neighborhoods with the most public school students. And the city is hardly in financial shape to rush off on a massive school construction program.
The mayor's most sweeping proposal was to link schools, libraries, and community centers into a "network of caring adults" as a way to address youth crime and reduce school dropout rates. It's a hopeful idea grounded in sound community-building strategies. But it also carves out an important role for the city's community centers, many of which function at marginal levels. Menino has never been able to reform or remove the insular non-profit boards that view community centers as fiefdoms - any more than he's been able to tame the firefighters union.
Until Menino brings these interest groups around to the public's benefit, it will be hard to glimpse the "spirit of common commitment" that he envisions for the city.
