“Originally, I said I would do every*thing I can to stop them.’’ Menino said in an interview at City Hall. “And that was mostly using the bully pulpit of being mayor of the city and getting public support. But
I didn’t say I would not allow them to go for permits or anything like that. I just said we would do everything we can, bully pulpit-wise.”
Menino caused a stir after he wrote an irate letter last Friday to the restaurant chain’s president, Dan Cathy, who told the Baptist Press this month that his company is ‘‘guilty as charged’’ for being a supporter of organizations rallying against same-sex marriage.
The company was considering opening a location on Union Street, across the street from City Hall and Faneuil Hall. After learning about the company leadershipÂ’s views on same-sex marriage, Menino issued a letter to Cathy, lambasting him.
“I was angry to learn on the heels of your prejudiced statements about your search for a site to locate in Boston,” Menino wrote. “There is no place for discrimination on Boston’s Freedom Trail and no place for your company alongside it.
“I urge you to back out of your plans to locate in Boston.”
The letter drew intense reactions on both ends of the political spectrum.
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But Menino clarified his view Thursday, saying that it would not be within his power to take any steps to prevent the business from establishing a franchise in the city and that he could not deny permits to the company. His only recourse, he said, is expressing his disapproval.
“Yes, people have criticized me; I understand that,” Menino said. “But I have feelings . . . I have my First Amendment rights also. I’m expressing them.”
Boston?s Mayor Menino clarifies Chick-fil-A stance - Boston.com