Photo Gallery: Mayor Menino Delivers State of the City Address

With a snowstorm on its way, Mayor Thomas M. Menino delivered his annual State of the City address at historic Faneuil Hall Tuesday night in front of a packed audience of residents and politicians including Governor Deval Patrick and U.S. Senator Scott Brown.

In his speech, Menino emphasized the need for shared prosperity and recounted the progress of the last year, highlighting education reform and development growth while laying out an agenda to create jobs, reduce disparities in healthcare and education, and strengthen public safety. The Mayor also emphasized the need to cut costs amid challenging fiscal circumstances.

“One year ago, I stood here and laid out an ambitious innovation agenda. By so many measures, given all that we’ve faced, it’s been a year full of progress,” said  Menino. “Even with the challenges behind us and the big ones that remain to tackle, I’m upbeat about our prospects, confident in our neighborhoods, and energized for the coming days.”

Noting that Boston has fared well under tough circumstances, and much better than other cities and towns nationwide, Mayor Menino declared the state of the city, “exceptionally strong and resilient.” “However,” he added, “there remain exceptions to that great strength…I believe true progress should be shared widely.”