Longtime Boston Mayor Tom Menino is battling cancer and undergoing chemotherapy. A watchdog over the city for 20-years, Menino left City Hall as one of the most beloved figures in Boston history. In that respect his successor, Mayor Marty Walsh, and Massachusetts Speaker of the House Bob DeLeo have made statements wishing Menino and his family well.

“I’ve never known Tom Menino to back down from a fight, and I don’t expect him to start now,” said Mayor Walsh. “Mayor Menino has always been here for the people of Boston, and we’re behind him today, 100%. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, Angela, their family and many friends.”

Speaker DeLeo shares the same sentiments as Mayor Walsh and the rest of Boston. As a statewide political leader with plenty of Massachusetts cities under his watch, the speaker’s statements of Menino are a testament to how widely admired the longest serving mayor in Boston continues to be.

“Knowing Mayor Menino’s fighting spirit, I expect him to face this challenge as he has so many in his life. My thoughts and prayers go out to Mayor Menino, Angela and his entire family,” said Speaker DeLeo.

It’s not clear what type of cancer Menino has, but we do know that it has spread to his lymph nodes and his liver. He plans to carry out his work as codirector of Boston University’s new Initiative on Cities.

You can read more stories on Boston startups, technology and innovation at https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/inno