IT TOOK 16 years. But Tom Menino is finally getting tired of the status quo.
Unfortunately, he is part of it.
On Tuesday, Menino reversed his long-held position against charter schools in a speech to hundreds of executives at a luncheon at the Boston Harbor Hotel. Now, he now supports more of them. This puts him at odds with the Boston Teachers Union - and in line with proposals released earlier by two mayoral opponents, city councilors Michael F. Flaherty and Sam Yoon.
Business leaders and longtime charter school advocates responded with breathless acclamation - not to his rivals' boldness, but to the mayor's late-breaking flip-flop. Thomas F. Birmingham, the former Senate president and architect of education reform in Massachusetts, called the mayoral reversal "extraordinary" and "an exciting proposition." The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce quickly hustled out a press release applauding the mayor's proposal. The speech was one more stop on the mayor's victory tour. He hasn't won reelection - not yet. It just looks that way and that's the way he and the business community want it.
"The status quo won't work. We've got to make real changes," Menino told a crowd filled with people who seem willing to overlook the obvious.
Menino is the status quo.
It's hard to run as an agent of change when you are running for a fifth term as mayor. But Menino is trying to buff up his image as an innovator. Sometimes that means borrowing from his rivals. What happened with charter schools is just one dramatic example.
There were no lights, cameras, or business community cheerleaders when Flaherty announced a major education platform, including support for more charter schools, at a kitchen table in Roslindale. Yoon also put out word that he planned to introduce a City Council measure that would lift the funding cap on high-performing charter schools.
This was a direct challenge to Menino, who faces criticism that his promise to turn around the Boston public schools remains unfulfilled. For years, Menino also argued against the funding formula for charter schools, saying it is unfair because it redirects money from traditional city schools.
But, suddenly, there was Menino announcing to the Boston College Chief Executives Club that he would file state legislation to allow the city to bypass union approval and turn the city's poorly performing schools into new charter schools. The mayor also said that if the legislation fails, he would call for lifting the cap on charter schools.
"I'm glad he is finally embracing charter schools. He's about 16 years too late," said Flaherty.
Richard Stutman, president of the teachers union, said he was suprised Menino "has bowed to the political winds overnight." He shouldn't be too surprised. Menino is bowing in the direction of public sentiment and two rivals who represent a break with mayoral incumbency. There are other, less-dramatic examples of the mayor adopting his rivals' calls for change.
Yoon said he wanted the city to enroll in Zipcar, and announced plans to introduce a City Council measure that would enroll Boston in a FastFleet program. Menino quickly said he was already looking into it. The talks apparently began several years ago, went nowhere, but resumed right around the time Yoon brought up the subject.
Kevin McCrea, a South End developer who is also challenging Menino, called for an on-line listing of all scholarships available to Boston high school students; afterwards, Menino quietly implemented it. McCrea also called for the use of energy efficient lightbulbs and posted the idea on his website; the school committee budget now includes a proposal to change light bulbs at a savings of $3 million.
"The whole Menino administration has been reactive, not proactive . . . Someone comes up with a good idea, the mayor co-opts it and then he doesn't necessarily implement it," said McCrea.
Menino has agreed in principle to three debates - two before the preliiminary election and one during the general election. Details have yet to be worked out.
So far, the mayor prefers to borrow his opponents' ideas rather than debate them. Debate means defending himself and the status quo.
Joan Vennochi can be reached at vennochi@globe.com. 
