Menino Remembered Fondly by North End Community

North End leaders are remembering former Mayor Thomas M. Menino as an outstanding supporter of programs in the neighborhood and a kind and personable man who appreciated North End’s history, enjoyed spending time here, and dining at its excellent restaurants.

Mr. Menino, the city’s longest-serving mayor, died on October 30, 2014. He was 71.

Frank DePasquale, president of the North End Chamber of Commerce, said Mr. Menino was “the people’s mayor.”

“He’s the guy that transformed the city in the last 20 years into the high-rise, national city it is to match any other major city in the country,” said DePasquale. “He has built a whole new city, particularly the Seaport District.”

DePasquale said Mr. Menino stayed in close contact with the North End community and would often engage in conversations with its residents and business people.

“He was a man that would sit one-on-one with people and exchange ideas,” said DePasquale. “He was everybody’s friend. He was accessible and wasn’t untouchable. You could approach the mayor and speak to him about issues and he would listen before he made his decision.”

DePasquale extended his sympathy to the Menino family on behalf of the entire North End community.

“From everybody in the North End, we give our condolences and we wish the family well and our prayers are with them.”

Carl Ameno, director of the Nazzaro Community Center, noted Mr. Menino’s support and commitment to the community, the center, and Boston youth.

 “Mayor Menino was always a champion of the community in general and the Nazzaro Center in particular,” said Ameno. “He was a great help for all our community programs and everybody else, but particularly the youth. He was a friend of all the neighborhoods but it felt like he was a special friend to us.”

John Romano, a community activist who is related to the former mayor, said, “Mayor Menino was a very kind and caring person who loved the North End like he loved all the neighborhoods of Boston. He was always supportive of the seniors, the families, and the children of the North End and made sure they had good programs. He always took care of us.”