Menino set for a whirl in global spotlight

[unhappycamper]

Menino set for a whirl in global spotlight
By Donovan Slack
Globe Staff / September 3, 2008

Mayor Thomas M. Menino will jet away tomorrow to a luxury resort at the foot of the Italian Alps where he will hobnob with the presidents of Israel and Italy, Vice President Dick Cheney, and other world leaders, a rare opportunity for the "urban mechanic" typically focused on repairing roads and reducing crime to burnish his credentials as international statesman.

At the forum billed as a "mini-Davos," after the premier international conference annually held in Switzerland, Menino will participate in a panel Saturday on globalization and, the following day, discuss leadership with global executives.

"I am honored to join these international leaders. It's a long way from Hyde Park Avenue," Menino said in a statement issued yesterday by his press sec retary, Dot Joyce, who said he was not available for an interview. "The city of Boston has a lot to be proud of, and I am looking forward to sharing that with the world."

The mayor's trip will be paid for by the forum sponsors, a Milan-based management consulting group. He has taken prior international trips as mayor to conferences in Turkey and Italy, excursions sponsored by shopping mall developers and urologists. This trip, with its geopolitical A-list, represents a significant step up in prestige for the 15-year mayor.

Along with Cheney, there will be President Giorgio Napolitano of Italy, President Shimon Peres of Israel, President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian National Authority, José Manuel Durão Barroso, president of the European Commission, and Amre Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League. Corporate leaders include the chairman of the board of Coca-Cola and top executives from Philips, Fuji Xerox, and Perseus. Among the academic notables are two Nobel laureates for chemistry and one for medicine.

[Ian David]

1. I'm sure he'll do well, since he's such a great public speaker.

:sarcasm: