As a blazing spring sun beat down on Hobart Park in Brighton Thursday, Mayor Thomas Menino greeted about 60 local residents and their children at a sixth annual coffee hour.
Menino focused on the children at the expense of parents, though none of them seemed to mind.
“When I go up to him with my kids, he ignores me and talks with my kids,” said Boston resident Mary Larosee, “which I like. He asks for their names before he talks to them so he can call them by name.”
Menino interacted with the many children at the park and later said it is important to take care of the park for the community.
“Hey how ya doin’, gimme five,” he said to a child as he put his hand out.
“There is a lot of pride here in this park and in this community,” Menino said. “It’s a great nice spring day to meet outside and get the community together.”
Rep. Kevin Honan (D-Boston), who said he attends the event every year, said it great that Menino meets with citizens.
Menino “meets the parents on their own turf at a time that works for them,” he said, adding that the mayor “extends himself in a grassroots way to see his constituents individually and to hear their wishes and hopes of the park.”
Members of the Hobart Park Neighborhood Association, formed in 1992, designed and installed a new playground in the park themselves two-and-a-half years ago and adopted the park as a “civic meeting place,” according to Parks Commissioner Toni Pollak.
“The people in this neighborhood are active in the park, and the people who live in the houses surrounding it monitor the park and make sure the kids are safe,” Pollack said. She added that Menino does not just come out once a year; he also comes in September for the neighborhood’s annual barbecue in the park.
“This park has changed a lot over the years thanks to efforts spearheaded by the mayor and others like Representative Kevin Honan,” said Joseph Walsh, a 25-year-old public relations representative for St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center and a local resident. “Menino’s commitment never wavered, and this park shows that.”
Walsh said Menino’s “commitment to our neighborhood is very strong, and he serves as a building block of the city. We keep him on his toes here. He just came to our Easter egg hunt. It’s a pleasure to have him around.”
Pollak said the turnout spoke for itself and that people enjoy Menino’s involvement in the community. Dunkin’ Donuts sponsored the event and provided coffee and donuts, and there was a table with potted geraniums for all the neighbors to take home.