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Longtime Boston Mayor Tom Menino dies at 71

Boston's longest serving mayor, Thomas Menino, died Thursday, a spokesman confirmed.

By Gabrielle Levy
Thomas Menino, Boston's longest-serving mayor, died Thursday after a battle with cancer. UPI/Spencer Platt/Pool
1 of 6 | Thomas Menino, Boston's longest-serving mayor, died Thursday after a battle with cancer. UPI/Spencer Platt/Pool | License Photo

BOSTON, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Thomas Menino, Boston's longest-serving mayor, died Thursday after a battle with cancer.

Menino, who stepped down this year after more than 20 years in office, was 71.

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"At just after 9:00 a.m. this morning, the Honorable Thomas M. Menino passed into eternal rest after a courageous batter with cancer," his spokesman Dot Joyce said in a statement.

"He was surrounded by his devoted wife Angela, loving family and friends. Mayor Menino, the longest serving Mayor of the City of Boston, led our city through a transformation of neighborhood resurgence and historic growth -- leaving the job he loved, serving the city and people he loved this past January. We ask that you respect the families' privacy during this time and arrangements for services will be announced soon."

Menino decided to step aside last year, telling the city he no longer had the stamina to be mayor "the Menino way."

In March, the former mayor announced that he had been diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer. Doctors weren't sure where originated, but it had already spread to his liver and lymph nodes.

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His career began as a city councilor, representing Hyde Park, where he was a lifelong resident. First elected in 1984, he served as District 5's councilor until President Bill Clinton selected Mayor Raymond Flynn as ambassador to the Vatican in 1993.

While serving as acting mayor, he ran for his own full term in 1994 and won handily, eventually serving five full terms.

An active presence around the city, Menino was nicknamed "The Urban Mechanic" for his dedication to revitalizing Boston. Under his watch, Boston was named one of the greenest cities in the country, played host to the 2004 Democratic National Convention and pushed the city to be on the forefront of progressive issues such as same-sex marriage and urban gun control.

In a statement following Menino's passing, President Obama said he spoke with Angela Menino on Wednesday.

"Bold, big-hearted, and Boston strong, Tom was the embodiment of the city he loved and led for more than two decades," Obama said.

"As Boston's longest-serving mayor, Tom helped make his hometown the vibrant, welcoming, world-class place it is today," he said. "His legacy lives on in every neighborhood he helped revitalize, every school he helped turn around, and every community he helped make a safer, better place to live."

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After leaving office, Menino taught political science at Boston University and wrote a memoir.

"What I don't want is people feeling sorry for me," he said, after his diagnosis. "I don't want sympathy. There are people worse off than me."

On Oct. 23, Menino announced he would suspend his book tour and stop treatments for his cancer, so as to spend time with his family.

He is survived by his wife, Angela, his children, Susan and Thomas Jr., and six grandchildren.

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