While the media around here is more hot and bothered about the "will he or won't he?" of Mitt Romney and his political future, there is something interesting about the Boston mayoral race.

Tom Menino, the incumbent, is seeking a fourth term. Maura Hennigan, a city councilor, is trying to unseat him. As part of the process, the two have been participating in various fora and town hall-type meetings.

What's they've not been doing is debating.

Hennigan, like any good challenger, is spoiling for a fight. Menino, like any incumbent whose nickname is "Mumbles," isn't even using the word 'debate' in casual conversation. This sets up some unusual scenarios, such as last night's event at BU where Hennigan and Menino answered questions from the crowd - but wouldn't appear on stage together or directly interact.

This seems pretty gutless on Menino's part, if perhaps not a bad strategy for someone who isn't the most polished public speaker. It'll be interesting to see if this hurts him at all, but given the general lack of interest in the race I'd think not. Still, it'd be nice if he got taken to task for being a chicken.