THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2002 — Boston is a serious contender to host the 2004 Democratic National Convention. Mayor Tom Menino has enlisted Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry in a massive lobbying effort to snag the event. The Hub, according to today’s Boston Globe, faces strong competition from Miami, Detroit, and New York.

For Menino, nabbing the convention would be the crowning achievement of his career. The convention would allow Menino, who currently chairs the US Conference of Mayors, to show off his city. It would serve to punctuate his tenure and give him the kind of lasting accomplishment that would contribute to his legacy. Like the presidential debate in 2000 at UMass Boston, the convention would spotlight Boston’s restaurants, shops, and overall progress as a city.

However, if the city does convince Democratic bigwigs to hold their convention here — which is looking increasingly likely — it won’t be an unbridled success for Menino. First, as reported in the Globe, the Big Dig won’t be completed when the convention takes place — so not only will delegates miss the opportunity to take in the full splendor of the finished project, but they will be subject to the traffic and chaos synonymous with the Central Artery construction project. Even worse, Menino’s trumpeted South Boston Convention Center will not be ready in time to host the event — which is most unfortunate, since scheduling the Democratic convention there would give the center a boost it gravely needs. Right now, the massive $800 million construction project is falling well short of the bookings it needs to succeed. The Democratic convention would have changed all that.

In other words, while the Democratic convention will get Menino much of what he needs to cement his legacy, it won’t get him everything. In fact, the delegates and the national media — and, by extension, the country — would see a mere shadow of the mayor’s complete vision for what his city should look like.