CHARTER CHUMP

Luckily for Boston residents that are voting this fall, Mayor Menino's recent "Mitt-Romney" illustrates the calculus he and his political team seem to have been using for years: "Okay guys, whether this is right or wrong, innovative and promising or not,  if it's going to hurt us politically we need to squash it."

Sadly for us -- or more accurately, the thousands of children stuck in poverty and under-performing schools -- the city's apparent calculus does not hinge on whether something is the right thing to do.  It hinges on politics: "If I get behind this, will it hurt me with the teachers unions?  And if so, is popular support broad enough to make up for it?  If not, the kids will have to wait until the unions calm down and it is safer politically."

Though this sort of decision-making is not befitting of a place like Boston, we can't seem to get enough of the guy.  He comes around and shakes a few hands and before you know it we are all googly-eyed and could care less that we have a leader that is refusing to lead; a leader beholden to the interests of powerful groups; a leader whose craven political calculus crowds out innovation and promise.  

Instead of timely stands on issues and bold vision on promising initiatives, such as KIPP or CEO, we have a mayor that comes around only after he realizes he needs to change his position to save political face.

Boston deserves better.  This great city needs a leader that will take bold stands and lead us into the 21st Century.  It does not need more of the Charter Chump.