After two decades in office, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino is calling it quits, telling his supporters Thursday the time has come for him “to do other things.”
Menino, a Democrat, has served five terms. But The
Boston Herald reports that he has had a number of health problems in recent months and has endured multiple hospitalizations, along with an ongoing battle with diabetes. Lately, he has also been using a cane and the assistance of aides to get around.
“Most mayors’ schedules I can do, but I can’t do a Menino schedule,” the 70-year-old mayor told reporters. “It’s a 16-hour day, an 18-hour day, and that is where I get my vitality, being out in the neighborhoods in Boston.”
Menino acknowledged that stepping down was a “difficult decision.”
“When you have something you really love, you lived 24/7 for the last 20 years, it’s tough to say no. But there is a time and place for everything,” he said. “I’ve been the mayor for 20 years. I’ve seen the city change drastically and, you know, it’s time for me to go on to do other things.”
But not just yet. The mayor will still be the mayor until early next year, when his replacement, elected by the voters on Nov. 5, will take office.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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