Menino set for a whirl in global spotlight
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Mayor Thomas M. Menino will jet away tomorrow to a luxury resort at the foot of the Italian Alps where he will hobnob with the presidents of Israel and Italy, Vice President Dick Cheney, and other world leaders, a rare opportunity for the "urban mechanic" typically focused on repairing roads and reducing crime to burnish his credentials as international statesman.
At the forum billed as a "mini-Davos," after the premier international conference annually held in Switzerland, Menino will participate in a panel Saturday on globalization and, the following day, discuss leadership with global executives.
"I am honored to join these international leaders. It's a long way from Hyde Park Avenue," Menino said in a statement issued yesterday by his press sec retary, Dot Joyce, who said he was not available for an interview. "The city of Boston has a lot to be proud of, and I am looking forward to sharing that with the world."
The mayor's trip will be paid for by the forum sponsors, a Milan-based management consulting group. He has taken prior international trips as mayor to conferences in Turkey and Italy, excursions sponsored by shopping mall developers and urologists. This trip, with its geopolitical A-list, represents a significant step up in prestige for the 15-year mayor.
Along with Cheney, there will be President Giorgio Napolitano of Italy, President Shimon Peres of Israel, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian National Authority, José Manuel Durão Barroso, president of the European Commission, and
Menino is the only US mayor expected to attend. Local political observers said that will be a plus for Boston.
"For whatever reason, they invited him, and this is an opportunity to put Boston on the forefront," said Lawrence S. DiCara, a lawyer and former city councilor.
"The subject matter - globalization? On first blush, some people might think, 'Huh?' on the mayor speaking about globalization, but he's been the chief executive officer of the city for 15 years," said Joyce Ferriabough-Bolling, a political strategist and longtime City Hall observer.
"I think he'll rise to the occasion."
Known as the Ambrosetti Forum, this weekend's conference at the Villa d'Este on Italy's Lake Como was started in 1975 as a forum where "politicians, financiers, and business people, from across the world, debate the key issues of the day," according to the Financial Times of London. This year's theme is "Intelligence on the World, Europe, and Italy."
Menino administration officials said Tom Ridge, the former homeland security chief, asked Menino about six months ago whether he would be interested in attending. The mayor said yes and soon received a letter of invitation from conference organizers, according to Joyce. Ridge, who is speaking at the conference, worked closely with Menino in 2004 when Ridge was the US secretary of homeland security and Boston was preparing to host the Democratic National Convention, Joyce said.
Ridge did not return a message left at his company's Washington office seeking comment.
The mayor is scheduled to depart for Milan tomorrow and will arrive at the conference Friday. On Saturday, Menino is scheduled to participate in a panel discussion about "the role of cities in the current and future world situation."
On Sunday, he will meet with young entrepreneurs from around the world in a session about "leadership in a globalized world."
Joyce said the mayor hopes to learn about new ideas that can benefit the city of Boston.
"It's also a chance to share some of our best practices and let people know about what Boston has to offer," she said.
Joyce said Menino has not finished drafting the comments that he plans to deliver, and so could not be more specific.
While the European House Ambrosetti, the forum's sponsor, is paying for his airfare and accommodations, Menino is paying for his wife, Angela, to join him on the trip, Joyce said.
In the past, Menino has drawn criticism for taking international trips paid for by outside groups.
In 2003, he and his wife traveled to Rome, all expenses paid, for a conference sponsored by the European-American Urological Association.
In 2005, they spent five days in Istanbul, courtesy of the International Council of Shopping Centers.
This week's conference, however, drew praise yesterday from one city watchdog who said it appears to be a "significant opportunity."
"He's stepping it up," said Samuel R. Tyler, president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, a business-funded nonprofit group.
"Hopefully this will allow the mayor to encourage more business and development in Boston."
Donovan Slack can be reached at dslack@globe.com.
