Image via Creative Commons/ Dan4th Nicholas (CC BY 2.0)

Rest in peace, Tom Menino. On Thursday, October 30, the longest serving mayor in Boston history, Tom Menino, 71, passed away. Just last week, Menino announced that he would be ceasing his cancer treatments to spend more time with his friends and family.

Update: 

According to a statement released by the Menino family, Menino lost his battle with cancer just after 9 a.m. Thursday morning. He was surrounded by his wife Angela, loving friends and family.

He had just published his memoir, Mayor for a New America on October 14. More: BostInno Looks Back at Mayor Tom Menino’s Enduring Contribution to Boston.

Reaction:  

Back in March, we reported that Menino announced that he was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer of the liver that also spread to his lymph nodes.

Back in 1984, when Menino was vying to become the Boston City Councilor representing his native Hyde Park, WGBH chronicled the campaign in a 30-minute video which you can watch here. He represented his lifelong district, Hyde Park, with utmost distinction.

Upon the appointment of his predecessor Mayor Ray Flynn to the Ambassador of the Holy See, Menino, then City Council President, ascended to the position of acting-mayor.

He won his first election in 1993, and every subsequent one he was involved in since.

Despite his noticeably deteriorating health, Mayor Menino became a symbol of strength during one of the city’s most infamous events. In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, which shook not only the city but the country to the core, Menino disregarded the advice of his doctors and checked himself out of the hospital to help guide the city during arguably its most trying time. The heartfelt remarks he delivered at the service honoring the victims of the bombings exemplify just how monumental his capacity to care was.

“His leadership after the bombings which occurred on Marathon Day in 2013 resulted in the City becoming synonymous with resiliency and strength,” said B.A.A. President Joann E. Flaminio and B.A.A. Executive Director Thomas S. Grilk in a statement. “‘Boston Strong’ was his hallmark, and his compassion for the family of the victims and the survivors directly led to the quick formation of The One Fund Boston. Our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.”

Though he was known for comedic verbal gaffes and his thick Boston accent, his contributions to The Hub are unmatched.

Not only did he wield the power of City Hall to prevent discriminatory business from planting commercial roots, he transformed various neighborhoods, the most evident being the Innovation District, helped foster higher-education, nurtured Boston’s youth to become civic-minded leaders of tomorrow, and attended innumerable ceremonies and groundbreakings earning him the nickname “the neighborhood mayor” and “the urban mechanic.”

 

Said Menino’s successor, Mayor Martin Walsh in a statement:

Today the City of Boston mourns together.

 

To any who had come to know him, it is no surprise that more than half of Boston had a direct interaction with Tom Menino. No man possessed a greater love for our City, and his dedicated life in service to Boston and her people and changed the face of the City.

 

With sheer determination and unmatched work ethic, he took a city that is not as big in size as we are in stature and put us on the world stage as a national leader in health care, education, innovation and the nitty gritty of executing basic city services.

 

He was a leader on policy issues that shaped the Boston we know today: from the environment, to youth engagement, to innovation, to crime prevention. But more than anything, he was a man of the neighborhoods. He held a profound understanding of the direct and immediate impact that municipal government can have on people, and made it a great priority to ensure that government served people, and not the other way around.

 

Even in the latest stages of his illness, his concern – first and foremost – was always for Boston. We are forever grateful for Mayor Menino’s guidance, advice, and continued dedication to Boston. And though he has passed, his legacy and spirit will be felt across the City for generations to come.

 

Because of his leadership, Boston is a better place today.

 

From a grateful City: Our prayers are with Angela, Susan and Tommy, their families and friends, and all who loved Tom Menino.

Added Governor Deval Patrick, “Boston has lost a political giant, and Diane and I have lost a friend. Our hearts and prayers go out to Angela and the whole Menino family. And we thank God for the service and the life of Tom Menino.”

One of Menino’s lasting legacies will be that he helped found Mayors Against Illegal Guns along with former Mayor of New York City Michael Bloomberg in 2006, an initiative aimed at keeping illegal guns off the streets and, especially, out of the hands of the young children he had so much faith in.

“What began as a meeting of 15 mayors ultimately became a coalition of more than 1,000 mayors from around the country,” said Bloomberg in a statement. “Whether it was tackling illegal guns or reviving neighborhoods, Tom was never afraid to take on tough issues…Tom was at his best when his city needed him most.”

An absolutely tremendous outpouring of love, support and happy memories has flooded through various social media channels, as you’ll see in the tweets below.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Angela, his children, grandchildren and everyone whose lives he touched and made better through public service and his larger than life personality.

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