Menino launches early volley as first ad hits airwaves

Doesn't mention rivals in TV spot that debuts today

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff  |  April 24, 2009

Facing what could be his toughest reelection campaign, Mayor Thomas M. Menino wasted no time deploying his vast fund-raising advantage to launch a television commercial that will begin airing today, a dramatic departure from past campaigns when he has waited until October and November to take to the airwaves.

The 30-second spot, which makes no mention of his opponents, features the mayor seated at a desk, speaking about his plans for the city, while a series of black-and-white photos show him tossing a football with children in a playground and meeting a racially diverse group of residents.

"When other cities are going the wrong way, we're going the right way," Menino says in the ad, which is slated to run for two weeks on network and cable television stations, at a cost of "slightly over $100,000," the campaign said.

Menino's decision to begin airing an ad two days after he formally announced that he is seeking a fifth term may reflect his desire to quickly take the offensive against his opponents and discourage their donors, campaign observers said. Voters do not typically tune into the race until the fall.

"It's a shot across the bow," said John C. Berg, chairman of the Suffolk University government department. "It's telling everybody: 'Here I am. I really am in it. So forget about it. And forget about giving any money to my opponents.' It's an early demonstration of strength to stop the other campaigns from building up any momentum."

In the ad, Menino declares, "I believe I'm the best man for the job," and says he has plans "to improve over the last several years." The mayor says he will deploy "more officers walking the same neighborhood, same beat, every day," and says "my goal is to have every kid in Boston have the opportunity to attend an after-school program."

But the budget Menino unveiled this month reflects the starker priorities of governing Boston in a recession. His budget would eliminate the jobs of 212 teachers and 67 police officers, along with dozens of workers in the city's libraries and community centers.

Dorothy Joyce, the mayor's spokeswoman, defended the ad's ambitious plans. She said the mayor would increase the number of officers walking beats by reassigning them from the mounted unit, which is being disbanded, and by redeploying officers from other specialized units.

Joyce also said the mayor would increase after-school programs by better coordinating the services currently provided by schools, libraries, and community centers.

"It's just a matter of restructuring the way we do businesses," Joyce said. "He'll continue to do that, even in good times."

Menino has $1.4 million in his campaign account, nearly three times as much as his nearest opponent in the money race, Councilor Michael F. Flaherty, who has $565,383. Councilor Sam Yoon has $80,934, and Kevin McCrea, a South End developer, has $9,155.

In 2001, when Menino easily defeated a vastly underfunded opponent, Councilor Peggy Davis-Mullen, he waited until five days before the election to air his first commercial, a gauzy spot that featured children scampering in a playground and neighborhood activists rhapsodizing about the mayor's devotion to the schools.

In 2005, when Menino trounced another underfunded opponent, Councilor Maura A. Hennigan, he waited until mid-October to air his first commercial, a lighthearted ad that featured testimonials from supporters and the mayor joking: "Hey, I'd say it myself. But I can't talk that fast."

Steve Murphy, a veteran Democratic media consultant who produced the new ad and the one in 2005, said the campaign is seeking to build on the momentum of the mayor's carefully staged reelection announcement Wednesday at Digitas, a high-tech firm in downtown Boston.

"It goes hand in hand with the announcement," Murphy said. "It amplified what he . . . said in the announcement, and we believe it will have some shelf life over the course of the campaign. And it answers a lot of questions that voters have: 'Why are you running? And what are going to do?' "