With Boston's mayoral election less than a week away, Mayor Thomas M. Menino will spend the next few days reminding voters why they elected him the first four times. But there’s at least one constituency Menino has already won over: Northeastern administrators.
Members of Northeastern’s administration have out-donated those of any other large, land-holding university in Boston, campaign documents show. Of the 27 Northeastern employees who have donated to mayoral candidates in the last year, 26 are administrators. And all administrators donated to Menino.
The total donation coming from Northeastern employees is $5,575. Boston University administrators donated $4,100 and those from Harvard contributed $3,275 to Menino.
Vice president for corporate partnerships at Northeastern Marian Stanley, who land records show does not own property in Suffolk County, said her decision to contribute $200 to Menino's campaign was both professional and personal.
“I support him,” Stanley said. “I think he’s been a good mayor. I think he’s been helpful to the university, and he has a proven track record in public office.”
Menino is running for an unprecedented fifth term in office. He opposes City Councilor Michael Flaherty, who garnered only $625 in campaign contributions from Northeastern University employees. This mirrors a larger trend of Menino's fundraising success at large. According to public records, Menino raised $2,326,076 over the course of 2009, while Flaherty raised only $1,143,073.
The 26 contributing administrative members make up 68 percent of the administrative body.
With the exception of Stanley, none of them could be reached for comment.
The only donation to Menino's campaign coming from a non-administrator at Northeastern is $100 from George Thrush, faculty chair for the School of Architecture.
Vice President for Marketing and Communications Mike Armini said Northeastern has not endorsed a candidate for mayor and declined to comment on why some of the administrators chose to donate. He said the donations were personal decisions, and the university played no role in encouraging them to donate.
"Mayor Menino understands that Boston's many non-profit institutions contribute to the vitality of the city,” Armini said. “It is not surprising that Northeastern employees are supporting the mayor's campaign. They give their time and support as private citizens."
Several of the donations came from high profile administrators, including $500 from President Joseph Aoun and $200 from Provost Stephen Director. Aoun, who has been registered to vote in Boston since 2008, has had a close working relationship with Menino, according to Nick Martin, the campaign spokesperson for the mayor.
“The mayor has worked closely with Aoun over the years,” Martin said. He specifically mentioned Aoun‘s work with Menino on the Step Up program, designed to help Boston Public School graduates get a college degree. According to the Center for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education web page, the Step-Up program is comprised of university partnerships with local schools and focuses on helping students earn a degree in math or science. Martin also mentioned the payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) Task Force, designed to regulate and revisit the way the city structures its pilot payments with non-profit institutions.
Menino also spoke at President Aoun’s inaugural address in 2007.
“Aoun is a visionary, he's a doer and he has a stance," Menino said at the inauguration. "Northeastern is part of the neighborhood. They have to stay part of that neighborhood and share in that neighborhood, and Aoun understands what community is all about."
An honorary degree was issued by Northeastern to Angela Menino, wife of Thomas Menino, in May of this year.
Menino has also been recently involved in Northeatern’s construction plans. According to local media reports, the mayor was working on a plan earlier this year to make improvements to White Stadium in Franklin Park as a venue for university football games.
Martin declined to comment on Aoun and Menino's personal relationship.
NU administrators give to Menino mayoral campaign
Published: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Updated: Thursday, October 29, 2009
14 comments
I'm Barbara Ferrer's daughter and my family is appalled, we sent notice to Flaherty about this the first time he told a reporter my mother wasn't 'really Latina' and he has neither changed what he says about her, nor has he apologized to her. That's the SHAME here -- white men still thinking they get to determine who is and isn't a minority.