Menino overcame doubts

In the months leading up to the Democratic National Convention, Mayor Thomas M. Menino maintained a public face of self-assurance about the event he labored for years to bring to Boston. But as delegates left town yesterday, he said he often had doubts during that time, as labor troubles and the unfolding complications of security measures threatened to turn the convention into a huge political liability.

Under fire from unions using the convention as leverage for more lucrative contracts and pressured by national Democrats, Menino said in an interview that he had moments when he believed he had made a mistake in seeking to bring the convention to Boston.

"You had these self-doubts at times," he said. "Things were just getting so fouled up. I'd say to myself, 'What am I doing?' "

He said that sometimes, as he would sit in his City Hall office at 4:30 or 5 o'clock on a Friday afternoon, he wondered why he ever wanted the convention here. He would remember back 11 years, to the time critics said the new mayor would "embarrass the city" because of his lack of polish, he said.

"Your friends are down on the Cape, home, playing golf; they're making gazillions of dollars, and you're here, punched around," the mayor said, recalling his thoughts. "Some days, I tell you, you just wondered. It seemed like everybody was shooting at you: 'This is wrong; that's wrong.' "

But the sniping seemed far away yesterday, as Democrats left Boston with a warm feeling about the city and its mayor. When Senator John F. Kerry left town yesterday morning, the Democratic presidential nominee and his running mate, Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, were joined by actor Ben Affleck in singing Menino's praises.

As Menino reflected on 18 months of convention preparations, he offered praise for the city he governs and for himself, saying that the success of the convention vindicated his worries.

"I'm mayor of a city that works," Menino said. "Boston once again rose to the occasion."

Grumbling continued yesterday from business owners and some Boston residents, who were upset that Menino's traffic warnings emptied the city during its four days in the national spotlight. The mayor has taken the complaints personally, reacting defensively throughout the week.

When asked what he would have done differently during the next such event, he has made jokes about making sure he owns a newspaper or a television station, suggesting that news coverage had exacerbated problems.

Yesterday, outside a North End restaurant, Menino snapped back when reporters grilled him about workers' lost wages and businesses' lost revenues. "Ask the real people what kind of week we had in Boston," Menino said. "You know, it's real easy to be negative in our city. I think people that I met here over the last five days had a real positive experience here in Boston."

Watchdogs continue to question Menino's decision to send the labor pacts to an arbitrator, resulting in more lucrative raises than he was prepared to give. He had been under pressure to rein in expenditures on raises, which he had doled out to police and firefighters in periods of greater prosperity. But the mayor defended his decisions on the labor front, saying he stood up for taxpayers by refusing to cave in to union demands for more money. He went to arbitration as a last option, he said.

"You could have made the popular decision at times, but it wasn't the right decision," Menino said. "I stuck in there, I hung in there, and I got the contracts done."

Menino said he has grown used to being underestimated, and that criticism fueled his determination.

"I've done some things that people said couldn't be done," he said. "I have a little bit of tenacity in me. I always want to beat the odds."

Since winning the convention for Boston in late 2002, the mayor has been confronted with complications. Fund-raising fell short for months. The Secret Service ordered unprecedented transportation disruptions in order to implement a massive post-Sept. 11 security plan. Kerry threw a series of curveballs, suggesting at one point that he would not accept the nomination at the convention and later infuriating Menino by boycotting his US Conference of Mayors meeting because of a police-led picket line.

Many have said that Menino brought some of the trouble on himself, allowing labor negotiations to extend to the last minute. The mayor conceded that it was not the ideal way to win the labor pacts. The city's method of bargaining contracts should be changed, he said, but he was unsure how. Meanwhile, businesses' expectations were unrealistically inflated, he said, and that is why some are disappointed about the lack of a convention bounce.

Menino said he has gotten thumbs-ups and backslaps from residents on his outings around the city this week, which he cited as evidence that it was all worth it. His army of 14,000 white-shirted volunteers gave him a "new faith in government."

"Sometimes the city has a tough time being great, realizing how great it is," the mayor said. "More people came up to me and say, 'Hey mayor, what a great thing this has been for Boston.' "

Like many politicians, Menino has bristled when asked how major events will figure in his legacy. Yesterday, he said the convention was "just four days" in two decades of public service, but he also noted that it's a "great piece" of his own personal story.

Menino, 61, tried to sidestep questions about whether he would seek a fourth full term next year, but indicated broadly that he would by saying he has no plans to retire or seek another job. He said he still thinks he has the "best job in America" and is restless for the next challenge.

"That's another piece of my administration done; now it's the next piece, and we have other things to achieve," Menino said. "What would I do if I retire? . . . I have too much energy to retire."

Rick Klein can be reached at rklein@globe.com.