Boston’s longest serving mayor, Thomas Menino, has died at the age of 71 after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was a hugely important figure in Boston—he served on the city council and was elected mayor five consecutive times.
Menino was also the city’s first Italian-American mayor, an early advocate for same-sex marriage, and he brought the Democratic National Convention to his state in 2004.
Menino presided over a city that was named one of the greenest in America, and he rose to national prominence in the aftermath of the Boston bombing.
Emily Rooney, host of Greater Boston at WGBH, remembers Menino and his legacy.