3 guys you should meet

His three challengers have been crisscrossing the city in pursuit of hands to shake and deep dissatisfaction with the status quo. And yet, Menino is even more popular now than he was before the race began.

It has to be incredibly frustrating for his opponents: Even though more than half the voters we surveyed think there should be term limits on mayors, most of them think this particular mayor should run for an unprecedented fifth term. Even though voters gave the schools a C, and a staggering 40 percent of residents have considered leaving the city because of them, they still gave Menino - the guy who wants to be judged on the quality of the schools - a 73 percent job approval rating.

This is partly because residents feel like they know the mayor personally: A whopping 57 percent of voters have met him. City Councilors Mike Flaherty and Sam Yoon and businessman Kevin McCrea? A lot of voters still don't know they're alive.

Sure, it's early and all, but ouch.

So in the interest of raising their profiles, the rest of this column belongs to them. I asked each challenger this question: How will Boston be different if you're mayor?

"Government will be honest, transparent, accountable, and reflective of the city it serves," McCrea said. "We will have eliminated the Boston Redevelopment Authority, established a planning board answerable to the legislative branch, and instituted a master plan for the city that has fostered investment, growth, and jobs."

"The city will provide equitable schools to all, we will have eliminated busing and created neighborhood schools which double as community centers. We will have clean parks and streets with trash cans where needed. I will have promoted public transit, pedestrian and bike lanes, green growth, and recycling. The city will work for all its citizens."

Flaherty said his City Hall "will be smaller, but we'll be delivering more services, and it will be more accountable. A yearly performance review will make sure all our decisions are guided by results. Our government will be younger and more innovative, will truly look like the face of our city. City employees will be rewarded for their hard work, not their political work.

"Our neighborhoods will be clean, safe, and livable, and holes in the ground will be replaced with restaurants, vibrant businesses, affordable housing, and green space. In our schools, incremental steps will be replaced with accountability, quality, and real progress. We will have stopped blaming our principals and teachers and start involving them in making real academic progress. We'll have smaller classes, full-day kindergarten for all 4-year-olds, and real school choice."

A few years into a Yoon administration, "We will be a city where we put policy in front of politics, where citizens feel empowered by City Hall and not dependent on City Hall. Our schools will be the best in the country, and our young people free from the fear of violence because we will have developed a comprehensive long-term violence prevention plan that is collaborative and well funded.

"I see citizens calling 311 for all city services and being able to track their requests. I see the BRA replaced by a true community development planning agency. I see us being a leader in green jobs, with young people of color carrying caulk guns as opposed to handguns. I see a City Hall where you don't get jobs and services based on who you know, but on what you know."

Unlike Menino, they haven't met most of you. But give them a chance to win you over.

Yvonne Abraham is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at abraham@globe.com.