Mayor For A New America

Mayor For A New America

<DIV><P><B><B>Boston’s late, revered mayor explains the power behind the city’s dramatic success — and its lessons for Washington power brokers.</B></B><BR /><BR /> When Thomas Menino stepped down from office as one of the longest-serving major-city mayors in the nation’s history, he was among the most popular politicians in modern memory. In <I>Mayor for a New America,</I> Menino gives a play-by-play look at how he managed to wield political influence while staying fiercely loyal to the interests of the people he was elected to serve.<BR /><BR /> The unassuming guy from Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood was an unlikely politician. He’d been a backstage campaign workhorse whose career nearly ended the second he stepped into the spotlight, tongue-tied. Although not a fancy talker, Mayor Menino took to the details of running the city he loved. By taking care of the small stuff — fixing potholes, cleaning up parks, plowing the streets quickly after snowstorms — he won the public’s trust to deliver on the big issues. He had a progressive agenda and was forward thinking in his support of an innovation economy and a champion of gay rights. He also held fast to the values of his childhood — good schools, a growing middle class, and close-knit, welcoming communities.<BR /><BR /> In this candid look back at a career that spanned the busing crisis of the 1970s, the remarkable resurgence of the neighborhoods, and the city’s extraordinary response to the Boston Marathon bombing, Menino tells behind-the-scenes stories and gives a master class in urban politics. And his proven, people-focused track record provides inspiration for a dysfunctional Washington to actually get things done — just like he did in Boston.</P></DIV>