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Boston Mayor Menino plans to retire

BOSTON, March 28 (UPI) -- Thomas Menino, the longest-serving mayor in Boston's history, has decided against seeking a sixth term, officials said Wednesday.

Menino is expected to make a formal announcement Thursday at historic Faneuil Hall, The Boston Globe reported. By Wednesday afternoon, city employees were speculating he would announce his retirement because the event was not getting the kind of push a campaign kickoff would have.

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Officials close to the mayor told the Globe he plans to meet with top aides before the Faneuil Hall appearance.

Menino, 70, was the first Italian-American to serve as mayor in a city dominated by Irish politicians for decades. He was City Council president in 1993 when Ray Flynn resigned to become ambassador to the Vatican and served four months as acting mayor followed by five full terms.

A believer in getting the small things done, Menino ended up presiding over great changes in the city, the Globe said. He even saw the Boston Red Sox win the World Series for the first time since 1918.

"What is a vision? Sometimes we get caught up in the grandiose," Menino told The Boston Globe magazine in 1994 as he began his first term. "My vision is jobs, a better school system, community policing, health care. When I leave this job, I want the city to be in better shape than when I took it over."

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