With Election Day exactly two months away, City Councilor-At-Large Maura Hennigan and incumbent Mayor Thomas Menino continued to raise funds and attract voters for this year's mayoral race, spending the summer months trying to reach out to voters at a personal level.
Menino, first elected mayor in 1993, has raised substantially more funds than his opponent. According to The Boston Globe, Menino raised more than $1 million while Hennigan could muster only about $20,000.
Unlike some political candidates, Hennigan could not turn to her personal bank accounts for campaign funds. So last month she mortgaged her house. Hennigan's campaign office said the mortgage is pending and other fundraising is ongoing. Hennigan also attends many house parties to raise money for her campaign.
Menino's campaign website, www.formayormenino.com, lists women's groups, young professionals, students, and the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. But Hennigan's campaign website, www.maurahennigan.com, names only the Women's Campaign Fund, a national organization that endorses pro-choice female candidates.
Hennigan said she is most focused on improving the city's public education system and creating affordable housing. The 23-year City Council veteran is also a former school teacher.
When Hennigan first challenged Menino to a debate this summer, the mayor waffled, then agreed. At Hennigan's request, the mayor and the city councilor will face off in a televised debate on Sept. 28, the day after the primary.
For several months Hennigan has called for a mayoral term limit to make the election process more democratic, but the City Council voted down the measure at an August 24 meeting.
The mayor's office and other city councilors have criticized Hennigan for seeking a term limit for the mayor but not for the City Council. Hennigan is one of three city councilors who have served for more than two decades, but she has been on the Council longer than any of the three.
Recently, Hennigan criticized Menino's plan to clean and make cosmetic improvements to Downtown Crossing. According to the Boston Herald, Hennigan said Menino's 12-year-old administration is not doing enough to revitalize the deteriorating shopping center.
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