Mayor to make stand at Strand

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Mayor Thomas M. Menino is taking his State of the City address to the neighborhoods for the first time in a decade, delivering his annual keynote on his administration’s goals Tuesday night from the stage of Dorchester’s Strand Theatre.

Menino is looking to return to the urban mechanic mantra that has been at the heart of his popularity, stressing fundamentals of city parks, paved roads, and trash pickup, and making pledges on fighting crime, which has rocketed in recent years. The mayor will also sound themes urging self-help in communities across the city.

"He will be calling on the city as a whole to be better at helping others," said Dot Joyce, his press secretary, who said the theme of the speech is "City and neighborhoods, shared responsibility."

"We need to create a city that has hope, not fear," she said, "and one where people can trust one another, and city officials."

Menino also is expected to announce a major investment in revitalizing the Strand, seen as a sanctuary for black culture in a sometimes bleak part of the city in Uphams Corner.

Menino, who has been working with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York on forming Mayors Against Illegal Guns, is expected to refer to recent efforts to stop gun violence, along with the hiring of a new police commissioner, Edward F. Davis. He will highlight improvements in education, including winning the top urban school prize in the nation after four years as a runner-up, and his hiring of a new school superintendent, Manuel J. Rivera, who will take the helm in July.

This year’s speech finds Menino at a tricky time in his mayoral career -- in the midst of a fourth term when critics are on the lookout for signs of stagnation and many are wondering whether he will run for a fifth term.

Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com

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