Big City, Back Streets

Boston Mayor Tom Menino, who in November won a landslide election to a third four-year term, has been dismissed by a number of critics as being more interested in filling potholes than participating in philosophical debates about the nature of cities. His sincere, yet unpolished speaking style has earned him the sobriquet “Mayor Mumbles.” The Boston Globe, during a rocky stretch in a generally positive relationship with Menino, referred to him as “a mayor straight out of the Middle Ages.”

Thanks to Urban Land Editor