BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- One of Boston's most beloved leaders former mayor Tom Menino has died.
As the city's longest serving mayor, his imprint on Boston is undeniable.
Thomas Michael Menino was dedicated and down to earth. He had a voice you would recognize anywhere, and the sort of love for a city you don't find everywhere. He cheered for our teams, broke ground on our city, and did it all with a sense of humor.
A lifelong resident of Hyde Park, Mayor Menino attended UMass Boston, where he graduated with a degree in community planning. He began his political career as a Boston City Councilor and served an unprecedented five terms. In 1993, Menino, the Boston City Council President, became acting mayor after Ray Flynn left Boston to become Ambassador to the Holy See.
In his first race for mayor, Menino overwhelming defeated State Rep. James Brett to become Boston's first non-Irish American mayor since 1930. He would become the first Italian American to hold the office.
Menino ran un-opposed for his second term in 1997 and defeated Boston City Councilor Peggy Davis Mullen for a third term in 2001, which was, again, an overwhelming victory. His next bid for office came in 2005 when he defeated another Boston City Councilor Maura Hennigan. In 2009, he won an unprecedented fifth term, defeating Boston City Councilor Michael Flaherty.
As mayor, Menino faced many challenges. He was instrumental in bringing the Democratic National Convention to Boston in 2004. In the post 9-11 world, security was a huge concern, as was the inconvenience to residents. Controversy came again for Menino in 2011 after his decision to evict members of the Occupy movement from the Rose Kennedy Greenway. Menino was never afraid to stick to his own convictions, he made national headlines in the summer of 2012 by saying he would work to prevent Chik-fil-a from opening near Fanueil Hall, citing their opposition to same sex marriage.
Another challenge for the mayor was his health. Hospitalized several times while in office, the mayor had multiple knee surgeries and dealt with an ongoing battle with skin cancer. Menino fell ill on a trip to Italy, and upon his return was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital and was diagnosed with a viral infection as well as a blood clot. He also suffered a compression fracture to his spine while in the hospital.
Menino made the decision to step down as our mayor last March, announcing to us all that he would not be seeking a sixth term as our city's mayor. January sixth was his last day serving us in office, and Menino left with overwhelming popularity and numbers any politician would love to have.
Menino accepted a position at BU and was entering a new phase in his career when the news came that his cancer was back.
In true Menino fashion, the man, the leader, the fighter we all knew him to be, did not give up. He set an example of perseverance, determination and courage to the end.
Mayor Menino is survived by his wife Angela and two children, Susan and Thomas Jr., as well as several cherished grandchildren.