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Mayor of Boston
Thomas M. Menino

A national leader on neighborhood issues, Mayor Thomas M. Menino believes that government is about helping people. Elected five times as Mayor of Boston and five times as a City Councilor from Hyde Park, he has spent a lifetime building a better Boston for residents and businesses.

Nicknamed the “Urban Mechanic” early in his career for his tireless work ethic and attention to the basics that make for a thriving city, Mayor Menino works to inspire a generation of New Urban Mechanics, rooted in the belief that citizens are the best civic entrepreneurs. Forging partnerships to revitalize neighborhoods, strengthening the economy through workforce investments, and innovating in education, his vision for Boston is based on strong, welcoming communities that provide unlimited opportunity for success.

As he began his administration’s fifth term, Mayor Menino called upon his Cabinet and the citizens of Boston alike to help bring about a new era of shared innovation for the City, one that is not only informed by the successes of the past but adapts in new ways to meet today’s challenges and position the City for future growth.

Noting the progress that Boston has made in overcoming the divisions of the past, while realizing the distance yet to go, Mayor Menino recommitted his administration to bringing the City’s diverse constituencies even closer together. Boston’s diversity, a characteristic that gives the city unique strength, should serve to create a deep sense of shared experience. The Mayor made it clear that this vision should underpin the work of the entire administration: 
“When I made my first inaugural address, I promised to help bring about a century of inclusiveness in government. We’ve made much progress, but we must recommit ourselves to that ambition. Complacency is no excuse for leaving people out, but our aims should be even higher, so that this new decade is about opening doors, but also walking through them in each other’s shoes.

“If, 100 years from now, they look back at my election, I hope what they see is the beginning of a century of inclusive politics,” Menino said in 1994. “Throughout my whole career I have tried to be an open door to people left out of the mainstream.”

The Champion of Change Award:

The Champion of Change Award honors an individual who, over his or her career, has made sustained outstanding contributions above and beyond his or her professional requirements.