There’s just one more day standing in between Boston and 2014. It’ll be the first year in two decades that Mayor Tom Menino won’t occupy the City Hall office and Boston will look to break in Mayor-elect Marty Walsh as the new helmsman of The Hub. But even with Walsh’s state government experience and labor union prowess, there’s bound to be some growing pains. After all, even Mayor Menino, leaving office with an approval rating that hovers around 80 percent, at times wasn’t privy to the pitfalls of the position.
During the fall campaign, Walsh overcame many challenges that his opposition hoped would plague his bid, namely by attempting to stigmatize his union background, to downplay his vision for the future of the city, and to question his intent on reforming one of Boston’s biggest enigmas – the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA).
But, as one expert on local government would have it, none of those are the top challenges facing the new mayor as he transitions his way into office. Neither are his policies, his personality, or pride. Nor is his self-confessed lack of technological prowess in a burgeoning innovative city.
The biggest challenge facing Mayor-elect Walsh could very well be the talent with which he surrounds himself.
BostInno spoke with Kevin Franck – former spokesperson for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, Deval Patrick Administration, and adviser to Rob Consalvo’s mayoral campaign – who said that for Walsh, and politicians nationwide, a crucial issue to avoid above all others is “putting forward appointees who face significant opposition or who have not been thoroughly vetted.”
It seems so simple, yet so profound. Almost everything stems from the people Walsh delegates tasks to. How can the public trust Walsh, his judgement, and his blueprint for Boston’s future if they can’t trust those assigned to carry out those judgement calls?
“The daunting task of running city government will become even more difficult for the young Walsh Administration if they are forced to spend valuable time swatting down questions about the people Mayor-elect Walsh picks for his cabinet and other high-level positions,” Franck continued “Former mayoral candidates who have had the benefit of media scrutiny during their campaigns and current Menino Administration officials are safer bets but beyond those two talent pools, the Mayor-elect and his team need to make absolutely sure that they know everything there is to know about potential appointees, including who will be upset by their appointment.”
Speculations by pundits and politicos abound as to who Walsh will appoint to his cabinet-level positions and further along down the rungs of the municipal ladder. Lucky for him, he appears to be heeding the same piece of advice put forth by Franck. It’s thought by many that Walsh will install the likes of his transition and inauguration committee co-chairs, some of whom are already familiar to the public for running mayoral campaigns of their own – most notably Felix Arroyo, Charlotte Golar-Richie, and John Barros.
But there seems to be less faith among the current Menino administration officials as some have already taken to submitting their walking papers. Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser, Transportation Commissioner Thomas J. Tinlin, Chief of Personnel & Labor Relations John Dunlap, Chief Information Officer William Oates, and Chief of Human Services Daphne Griffin have all resigned, some making their last day January 6, 2014 – when Walsh will be officially sworn in as mayor.
The Walsh camp, to its credit, has been very cautious about who may join the Mayor-elect’s inner circle. When asked if the Mayor-elect is in any danger of falling victim to appointing unpopular people to powerful positions, Franck told us quite candidly, “No one can predict the future, but the Mayor-elect and his team are taking their time to make sure they get this right and I think they will.”
Mayor-elect Walsh’s swearing in ceremony will take place at 10:00 a.m. on the campus of his alma mater, Boston College, on January 6, 2014, after days of public aid initiatives to help ring in the new administration that, according to press secretary Kate Norton, “supports and promotes the theme of neighborhood and community service.”
