The smiling mayor elect Judith Flanagan-Kennedy shown side by side on our front page with the smiling Governor Deval Patrick in his Beacon Hill office last week proves the old adage that a picture is worth 10,000 words.
In this instance, it is worth more like 100,000 words and tells the modern version of the ancient story about how the mighty have fallen.
Two months ago, such a photo op would have been the domain of Mayor Edward “Chip” Clancy and it would have been his image and his image alone appearing with the governor.
That was before Clancy’s political lock on city hall was turned upside down by his 27 vote loss to Flanagan-Kennedy.
It is encouraging to know that Flanagan-Kennedy will have the ear of the governor.
After all, it is the governor who approves the expenditure of government stimulus money and Lynn has been allotted millions in stimulus funding.
In addition, Flanagan- Kennedy will be needing to have a real time contact and relationship with the governor as tougher times than ever before are coming up in this fiscal year as well as the next.
Flanagan-Kennedy will likely be taking office during one of the most tumultuous economic eras most of us will have ever experienced.
Whether or not all of us were Flanagan-Kennedy supporters is irrelevant as she begins her term of office in January.
This city needs to come together and to get behind the mayor in order to maintain the city’s solvency and economic viability.
The new mayor faces an uphill battle in attempting to meet the city’s obligations, which cost more than the city generates from year to year.
Flanagan-Kennedy is going to have to be everywhere all the time and everything to everyone.
She faces a challenge that very few of us would welcome during a good year.
A photograph is worth 10,000 words but it never tells the whole story.