Incumbent’s challengers must distinguish selves
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THE GLOBE (Editorial, July 2) and Mayor Menino’s opponents continually sound the debate drumbeat without analyzing the value of a debate. Yes, it’s a good thing for an incumbent to face opponents, but when you have an incumbent mayor who has greeted in the flesh more than half the population and has an approval rating above 70 percent, two things are clear: Voters know the candidate, and they like what he is doing.
If the mayor’s opponents’ only claims are that they’ll do the same thing Menino is doing but do it better, which seems to be the case, then what’s the use of a debate?
To have any chance at all, challengers to Menino must have a big idea, or, better, big ideas. These ideas on, say, education or transportation should be compelling and plausible enough to appeal to voters, and if they are, that would force Menino to respond. That would be good for the process.
A debate in which Menino says he’ll repair 80 potholes and his opponents insist that, given the chance, they’ll fill in 100 is not worth viewing.
Jim Miara, Needham 
