By Rowan Walrath, city editor

Bill Linehan

“I am deeply saddened by Mayor Menino’s passing. I considered him a close friend and professional ally, and he will be very much missed, not only by me but our City Hall family as well,” Linehan said in a statement on Oct. 30. “I wish to extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to Mayor Menino’s family during this difficult time. I know his love for the City of Boston was matched only by his love for and devotion to his wonderful family. Mayor Menino cared very deeply about this city and its residents. He was arguably the most dedicated public servant I have ever met. It was a privilege to work with him both before and during my time as a City Councillor.”

Michelle Wu

“Mayor Menino gave me my start in city government and thousands of others across the city,” Wu said. “I learned so much from him, and I’m very grateful for the lessons on how to think about government and help other people, and [I’m] grateful for what he did for Boston over the years. When I was working in the mayor’s office, he would often be the last person to leave the office on certain nights. He would be out all day at different events throughout the city. He just loved meeting people and hearing their stories… He wanted to make sure that everyone who worked in City Hall and everyone who was active in our neighborhoods and our government was taking care of each other.”

Charles C. Yancey

“There’s no one in the City of Boston who would be unable to say some very positive things about our deceased mayor. He was very dedicated to the City of Boston,” Yancey said. “I had the honor of working with him for 30 years… He tried to create an atmosphere where everyone in all the neighborhoods of Boston would feel welcome. He worked with the library… He also built a new community center attached to a middle school. He worked very hard to make sure that the city did what it could to make sure that the level of diversity – in terms of the makeup of the City of Boston, well, that diversity was not well reflected throughout higher level positions, especially in City Hall. He worked hard to make sure that the city employees were reflective of the City of Boston… He helped establish Boston’s first sister-city relationship with the city of Sekondi-Takoradi in the western region of Ghana… It was an honor for me to work with him. He did have a great deal of love and affection from all the residents of Boston. I offer my condolences to [his family] and thank them for loaning Tom Menino to the city of Boston.”

Tito Jackson

“I think obviously he has a story of a temper… relative to the people he has not agreed with, but I think the real chief is a balanced leader who actually really valued his family,” Jackson said. “The time he got to spend with his family, just literally being there for his family on a regular basis. One of the things that really stands out for me in addition was [that] he had a thing for young leadership, for the development of young leaders like myself… who represent one in three people in the city of Boston. Really, in District 4, he made a connection with young people and invested in them. He invested in me – the first day I walked into City Hall… he came into my office and asked my whole staff, as well as me, to come over, and he sat and gave us a whole hour of his time to let us know about the ins and outs of the job and understand he’s really the archetype of a district city councillor. That was just a really great way to start my time at City Hall, with someone who really understands how important the individual is… If you take care of the people, they’ll take care of you.”

Matt O’Malley

“Tom Menino will go down in history as one of the finest and most effective mayors on the planet. He’s someone who I had the honor to work with these past couple years,” O’Malley said. “What impressed me most was his attention to detail in even the smallest of things. I think he was, early on, unfairly criticized for some incremental changes, but what he was doing was laying the foundation for some major changes to the city and the heart and soul of the city. …He was a very kindhearted man who took his job seriously but never took himself too seriously.”

Timothy McCarthy

“I worked for him for 20 years. I was in neighborhood services in Mayor Flynn’s office, a position that Menino had given me a high recommendation to receive,” McCarthy said. “I was in his office directly for a little over four years, and then he promoted me to the executive office of youth programs… Literally for 20 years, 5 months and 25 days, I was working with him, and he was my boss. [We had a] very close relationship over those years. He was a big-hearted guy who would do anything to make Boston better. When people tell stories of him exploding and pounding his fist down on the desk, it was for show… like a coach. All of it was to move Boston forward.”

Salvatore LaMattina

“I knew Mayor Menino for over 27 years and I’m proud to call him a mentor and a friend. In fact, to me he was more than a friend and more like a dad,” LaMattina said in a statement on Oct. 30. “He worked tirelessly throughout his entire tenure as Mayor to make Boston a better city. He succeeded in that and should be commended for it. In my entire career in city government, I have never seen anyone work harder than Mayor Menino. He truly was a Mayor of the people and because of that I know that the entire city will mourn his loss. I will miss him dearly, but I will always be proud and honored to have worked beside him and to have called him a dear friend of mine.”

Josh Zakim

“Mayor Menino was a giant in our city and an inspiration to all,” Zakim said in a statement on Oct. 30. “His leadership in fighting for equality for all Bostonians demonstrated his dedication to every resident and neighborhood across the city. His love for and commitment to Boston extended even beyond his time in public office, and his legacy is one that will not be forgotten.”

Photo courtesy Anthony Easton, Creative Commons