Remembering The Man Who Spent Two Decades As Mayor

Transcript

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

One final note on Tom Menino. Back in 2005, I covered the mayor as he ran for his fourth term. I spent the day in his black SUV as he crisscrossed the city visiting kindergarten celebrations, ribbon cuttings, restaurant openings and everywhere Mayor Menino went, he reached in and out of his left shirt pocket for these little slips of paper to write down the kudos and complaints of the residents he met. Back then, opponents sometimes suggested Menino was getting too comfortable in his job. When asked about that he laughed.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MAYOR TOM MENINO: Comfortable? How'd I get comfortable? Every day I have a new challenge. You meet people out there who need you. I never thought when I became mayor that I'd run for any other office. I think this is the best office to have in America because I touch people every day. I can make changes in people's lives every day, most elected officials can't.

CORNISH: Mayor Thomas Menino with that memorable, sometimes hard to understand voice, speaking in 2005. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.