The Mayoralty Of Tom Menino

There are a series of contradictions at the heart of Menino's legacy that we'll explore in this hour.

The mayor who thought small and yet changed the city in dramatic ways. The urban mechanic who kept his hands clean, even while he wielded extraordinary power over the minutia of city affairs. A man who championed education but left a mixed legacy in the Boston public school system. The city itself has become safer, healthier and more livable — but also harder and harder for the average family to live in.

Jack Beatty, WBUR news analyst who is helping the mayor write a biography

Adrian Walker, columnist for the Boston Globe

WBUR: Menino Took Small Steps, Made Major Changes

Check out this 1984 documentary about a young Tom Menino running for the City Council.