Boston’s longest-serving mayor, Thomas Menino, was appointed to the office in 1993 when his predecessor, Ray Flynn, became the U.S. ambassador to the Vatican. Since then, he has handily won re-election five times and enjoys a high approval rating, due in part to his affable, down-to-earth manner and his dedication to neighborhood livability issues. As a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston with a degree in community planning, Menino is extremely well versed in local issues and known for his interest in the smallest details of planning and zoning. He has been a champion for turning “Beantown” into “Greentown” by adding hundreds of acres of new green space, thousands of new trees, miles of new bike lanes, and a number of green building standards. His leadership was recognized recently when Boston was named as the third-greenest city in the nation.

How did you become such a strong proponent of parks and open space?
When I think back to my childhood in Boston, the local parks stand out in my memories. Something fun was always happening—baseball was played, friends were made, and many a summer evening was spent whiling away the hours in games and talk. As a youngster, I was outside as much as possible. My brother and I would be very active, often enjoying fishing in the summer and sledding in the winter. Frequently, there’d be spontaneous fun at a park like pickup basketball. I’ll always be grateful that I learned to play tennis, since my wife and I met each other while playing tennis with friends on adjacent courts in a neighborhood park in Roslindale.

You are called the “Urban Mechanic.” How did you come to pursue such a nuts-and-bolts approach to community improvement?
My goal is to make the city work for all the people. Making things work starts with the “nuts and bolts.” If sidewalks are in good shape, roads get plowed in the winter, trash is picked up on time, streetlights are working, and flowers and trees are planted to make the neighborhoods beautiful, then all else follows. If you pay attention to basic city services, then you are on the way to having a great quality of life for residents of the city. Neighborhood pride results from paying attention to these “urban mechanic” issues. Pay attention to basic city services and all else will follow: high-quality cultural institutions, thriving business districts, and citizens who feel lucky to be living in one of the best cities in America.  

You emphasize social justice in your administration. How do you apply these values to parks, recreation, and open space?  
My goal is to have a Boston that works for all its residents. This means parks must work for all, no matter what street a person lives on, and no matter a person’s income or ethnicity. With some of our park renovation projects, we have gone the extra mile to incorporate features that are appropriate to people in that park’s particular neighborhood. For example, a park in Roxbury now has ornate fencing medallions which show symbols from African cultures for such concepts as hope and love. In other parks, we have added features that appeal to people of certain backgrounds who live nearby, such as a cricket field in Jamaica Plain and a bocce court in the North End. As mayor, I am committed to providing residents with a nearby park that meets their needs and reflects the cultural diversity of our city.

Boston was named the third-greenest city in America. Can you explain how this was accomplished and what can other cities learn from your experience?
Boston ranks high as being one of the “greenest” cities because I have done what I can over the years to expand open space, enlist nonprofit and private-sector partners in our sustainability initiatives, and set goals for city officials and community leaders. Some of the success stories include:
• Transforming two former landfills  (Spectacle Island and Millennium Park) into public recreation areas
• Leading the way to encourage departments, including Parks and Recreation, to incorporate sustainability features into design work
• Increasing the amount of green space in the neighborhoods—for example, working with the community to create the East Boston Greenway extending from Piers Park to Belle Isle Marsh, and adding three new urban wild areas during my tenure as mayor
• Engaging corporations, nonprofits, and citizens to assist the city in planting thousands of new trees and flowers and restoring meadows and native plantings to City of Boston properties.

My suggestion for the leaders of other cities is to try to set the bar high with program ideas and also establish partnerships with the private and nonprofit sectors. One of our success stories in Boston is an initiative with planting new trees. Several years ago, my administration established a partnership to increase the tree canopy in Boston. The effort was named “Grow Boston Greener,” and in partnership with the Urban Ecology Institute, Boston Natural Areas Network, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, U.S. Forest Service, and Boston’s Urban Forest Coalition, this program’s goal was to plant 100,000 new trees in Boston by 2030. As the trees mature, the city’s tree canopy will increase from 29 percent to 35 percent by 2030. With a very concrete goal set, many entities have worked with city government to achieve this.

We also asked Toni Pollak, director of Parks and Recreation, how Mayor Menino supports parks and recreation.
Mayor Menino spends a great deal of time in our parks throughout the city. From Little League Opening Day celebrations to the Mayor’s Coffee Hours to attending events and programs in our parks, the mayor is very visible and likes to engage visitors in talking about their parks and neighborhoods.  He wants people to feel welcome and safe in our parks and know that they are for everyone.  

The mayor often speaks about quality of life issues when he addresses business or community groups, talking about parks being key to fitness, health, well-being, and the environment. Also, even during the economic downturn, the mayor has continued to significantly invest the city’s capital budgets into upgrading our parks. He has also challenged us to find new partners within the many institutions, businesses, and neighborhoods of the city because we can’t do it alone.

Interview by Phil Hayward.