Menino, Flaherty to duke it out for mayor

Current mayor of Boston Thomas M. Menino will face City Councilor Michael Flaherty in the race for mayor, as Election Day draws ever closer.

The incumbent took home 50.52 percent of the vote, followed by Flaherty, who received 23.96 percent. City Councilor Sam Yoon (21.16 percent) and South Ender Kevin McCrea (4.11 percent) will not see their names on the ballot this November.

Both candidates have strong support within Boston's LGBT community. MassEquality offered their endorsement for Menino in a September Letter to the Editor that was published in Bay Windows. Their support comes from Menino's history of "early and vocal support for marriage equality, creation of the first LGBT Health Office, [and] his annual hosting of a LGBT Prom at City Hall."

Several LGBT activists have also rallied around Flaherty, especially after he hosted an LGBT fundraiser at Club Caf� in March. Organizers Mark McGrath and Bill Svetz, who are both officers of the Boston Gay Rights Fund, noted Flaherty's support for the transgender anti-discrimination ordinance during his tenure as city council president, and his general responsiveness to the concerns of the LGBT community over the years. "He's done all of we've asked of him," said McGrath.

The candidates recently made headlines after fireworks were reported at the DotOUT endorsement meeting. Menino was publically challenged when activist (and Flaherty supporter) David Breen accused the mayor of marching in South Boston's controversial St. Patrick's Day Parade, which has historically (and intentionally) excluded the Irish LGBT community. Menino typically attends parties and works the sidelines in lieu of marching, and Breen insisted that the two were one and the same. A shouting match ensued, and Menino called Breen a liar, doing nothing to dispel accusations of his team's 'bullying' tactics.

Flaherty, on the other hand, does march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. However, little love has been lost for him within the LGBT community. That same Breen, in a June opinion piece published in Bay Windows, emphatically stated his support for the City Councilor. "He was one of the first elected officials to publicly come out for marriage equality," Breen wrote, noting, "Two of his chiefs-of-staff have been openly gay."

Menino, who has spent sixteen years in office, boasts a significant financial advantage over his opponent, who has held the position of City Councilor for seven years and was City Council President from 2002 to 2006.

Vying for City Councilor positions will be incumbents John Connolly and Stephen Murphy, and challengers Felix G. Arroyo, Ayanna Pressley, Andrew Kenneally, Tito Jackson, Doug Bennett, and Tomas Gonzalez.