Mayor Menino Is More Popular Than Kittens

The headline from last night’s Suffolk University/Boston Herald poll on the mayor’s race was, obviously, the results on the mayor’s race. But please allow me to direct your attention to another set of numbers from the poll: Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s approval ratings. Have a look:

Is your opinion of Tom Menino generally favorable or generally
unfavorable?
Favorable ……………………………….. 82%
Unfavorable ………………………………12%
Heard of/Undecided ……………………5%
Never heard of …………………………… 1%

That’s nuts! 82 percent! I didn’t think you could get 82 percent of Bostonians to agree on anything. (As for you 5 percent who are undecided, what, were you waiting to see how that 20th year in office finished up? And to you 1 percent “Never Heard of’s”—Go back to New York!)

But like I was saying, 82 percent! According to a 2012 Public Policy Polling report, only 81 percent of Massachusetts residents are Red Sox fans. Tom Menino is literally more popular than the Red Sox. Not only that, but according to CBS News, only 77 percent of Americans believe that they’ve never seen or felt the presence of a ghost. Bostonians are more sure they like Tom Menino than Americans are sure they haven’t been haunted. And according to a Huffington Post survey, only 76 percent of Americans have a favorable view of kittens. That’s right: Tom Menino is more popular than kittens. Take that, internet.

Now, let’s temper this rampant Meninothusiasm (work with me) with one more interesting result from the Suffolk/Herald poll:

Would you like the next Mayor of Boston to be like Tom Menino or someone
with a different style?

Next Mayor of Boston like Menino ………37%
Next Mayor of Boston Different Style …. 51%
Undecided…………………………………………12%
Refused…………………………………………….. 1%

It seems that however much Bostonians like Menino, they are ready to move on. The field to replace him is crowded—thankfully, though, no kittens or Red Sox are running.