Menino named 'New Democrat of the Week'

(AP Photo/Brendan Hoffman)

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Few would call Mayor Thomas Menino a bright-eyed, fresh faced politico. The Democrat has held office for the last 24 years in Boston, including a four-term run in the corner office at City Hall.

That did not stop a Washington think tank from bestowing the mayor with a curious honor: “New Democrat of the Week.”

Menino earned the distinction from the Democratic Leadership Council after he testified before a Congressional committee Thursday on the mortgage and foreclosure crisis. He was advocating a bill that would provide $10 billion in loans and grants to help communities buy abandoned homes.

“As we search for answers to the foreclosure crisis, it is reassuring to know there are leaders, such as Mayor Thomas Menino, working diligently to combat the crisis' devastating and diverse effects,” the think tank said in a statement.

The leadership council uses the term “New Democrat” to describe politicians who use “innovative means to promote the traditional values of opportunity, responsibility, and community.” Past New Democrats of the Week include Governor Deval Patrick, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, Tallahassee City Commissioner Andrew Gillum, and former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.

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