Boston City Councilor at-large Peggy Davis-Mullen has decided to challenge incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino for the top job in the city.
While she faces an uphill climb challenging a man with overwhelming popularity throughout the Hub, this year’s mayoral race can only be positive for the city.
Davis-Mullen has stepped out on a limb by throwing her hat into the mayoral ring. Not only is Menino popular, but he has more than $1 million in funding while Davis-Mullen has approximately $19,000. Also, she has given up her seat on the Council to run for mayor and would be left completely out of public office should she lose.
The important point in this race is the fact that no one has seriously challenged Menino throughout his two terms as mayor. He ran unopposed in 1997. At the least, Davis-Mullen can pressure Menino into focusing on the issues at hand rather than resting on his laurels.
In a speech Tuesday announcing her candidacy, Davis-Mullen said she will push for increases in education funding, the creation of more affordable housing and community involvement. She said her goal is to spread the prosperity Boston has seen in the past decade to every resident of the city.
Davis-Mullen, by focusing on the tenets of her campaign, can force Menino to do the same. If Davis-Mullen outlines a plan narrowly tailored to solve the city’s problems, Menino would be forced to create his own plan or risk losing the seat he apparently has a firm grip on.
Also, by pushing the issues and focusing the voters’ attention on those issues, Davis-Mullen can pressure Menino and the entire city government to be accountable to the people.
Although she is an underdog, Davis-Mullen has the power to give a voice back to the citizens of Boston. Her campaign, even if it does not end in victory, can still be a success by opening a dialogue between the public and the city government.
The people who truly have power in Boston are not those who sit in high-backed chairs in City Hall. They are the people who sit in their homes waiting to be heard.
Now is the time for Peggy Davis-Mullen to step up and show Menino what she can do.
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