On the recordJanuary 31, 2012
last Friday Kevin Hagan White, a four-term mayor of Boston, passed away. In the city of Boston, in the shadows of Faneuil Hall, there is a statue of Mayor White that stands 10 feet tall, larger than life. There could not be a more fitting tribute to a mayor and a man who was himself a huge figure in the history of Boston and a mayor who helped to give our city the extraordinary skyline and the extraordinary spirit it has today. He was a mayor who, more importantly, through four terms led the city of Boston through a remarkable transition, from times of division to a time of new international and singular identity for the city. He led the transition of a great city. But this good man and ground-breaking mayor was, frankly, much more than a transitional leader himself. He was a transformative figure in a city that, when it comes to history- making mayors, does not use the word ``transformative'' lightly. Mayor White's passing gives Boston and its people a chance to reflect on how one leader, one politician could help to reshape a major city in America--to some degree reflecting his own persona, bright and energetic. Kevin White was elected to city hall in 1967, a time when big city mayors in America were political forces even as the days of the all-powerful political machines were beginning to dwindle. In Chicago, there was Richard Daley; in New York, John Lindsay; in Los Angeles, Sam Yorty, among some of the big city mayors of our Nation.…
