Menino fights back against criticism

Six months ago, Thomas M. Menino was declaring himself a new man, reenergized by his election to a fourth term as mayor. ''I've been reborn," he said, as he pledged a major shake-up of his administration.

Now, with a void in key leadership positions and the impending exodus of his police commissioner, the mayor is fending off criticism that his administration is losing energy, people, and ideas.

And some political observers are wondering whether the mayor who made his mark as an urban mechanic still has the drive to finish the job.

''There's a feeling of fatigue," said Marc Landy, a professor of political science at Boston College, who said that while the city's rising murder rate may be beyond the mayor's control, his public efforts to reenergize his administration need more fire.

''When you can't solve problems, you can at least show flair," Landy said. ''. . . One would hope that in the next few days, you'd see some impressive announcements, some big initiative, some serious effort to improve the situation. He's probably tired. But he could have left after three terms."

Menino, for his part, says he is just as charged as ever and dismisses criticism about low morale in City Hall and prolonged vacancies in his administration.

But the job has appeared to be taking its toll on the mayor recently. On Tuesday, when he and his police commissioner Kathleen O'Toole publicly announced her decision to leave, a decision that had blindsided the mayor, the usually-optimistic Menino called it ''a blow to me personally and professionally."

On Sunday, he appeared visibly upset as he visited Isaura Mendes, a Dorchester activist who had lost a second son to weekend violence.

''I was very frustrated Sunday, because I know Mrs. Mendes very well," Menino said yesterday in an interview with the Globe. ''There's no words for that. Your heart is broken because this woman worked every day for peace."

Still, he maintains he is not frustrated with the job itself. ''If I was frustrated, I wouldn't be doing everything I'm doing," he said.

For years, Menino enjoyed tremendous popularity as Boston rode a wave of prosperity, when even nagging issues like the escalating cost of housing stemmed from the city's sheer desirability. In recent years, however, as the economy soured and federal resources were increasingly diverted to security, Boston has had to learn to live more modestly, and Menino began to increasingly blame diminished state and federal funding for efforts such as community policing.

''I hate to sound like I'm whining, but the federal government had been a partner for years," Menino said. Now, he added, ''They spend more time thinking about the bird flu than violence on the streets."

Still, he accepts some blame for what has been happening in the city. ''You're mayor, you're the chief executive officer," Menino said. ''Whatever happens, it's my responsibility."

Rather than blame the mayor for the increase in violent crime occurring on his watch, many recognize his efforts to halt it, pointing to his dogged work days and his continued outreach to neighborhoods as evidence of his continued devotion to his job.

''If passion and hard work mean anything, then I believe Mayor Menino will get us through these hard days," said City Council President Michael Flaherty. ''But he can't get into the head of a 16-year-old with murder on his mind and a gun in his hand."

If anything, Menino gets criticized for caring too much and trying to micromanage the city, rather than recruiting talented leaders and delegating duties. The same criticisms that haunted Menino in his early days as mayor dog him to this day: that he is reluctant to hire stars who may outshine him and instead sticks with loyalists, a circle that is increasingly closing in on itself. Menino's chief of staff is leaving for a judgeship, his school superintendent is on his way out, his public works commissioner is retiring, and his fire commissioner has retired.

One person who is closely involved with City Hall politics from outside the building said that the city is now seeing the effects of the mayor's limited recruitment of talent. ''At one level, politically, this may be his undoing. You've got to have a fresh bench. You've got to give them latitude. You've got to get A-plus performers. He doesn't have that now."

And increasingly, people are saying they want to see fresh ideas come from a familiar administration. ''I'm disappointed we don't have more police officers on the street. I'm just tired of people calling meetings," said Barry Mullen, a spokesman for the Florida Corridor Neighborhood Association in Dorchester. ''We need to take a better approach, a different approach. . . . We're meetinged out."

''Just doing the same old same old is not working," added Hennigan, Menino's challenger in the last election. ''It's really his style. The problem is when you don't trust other people and you have people who have been there so long, you almost can't see the forest for the trees. You only know what is part of your environment. Let's really do some innovative things. Let's see what's on the cutting edge."