HYDE PARK (CBS/AP) – Boston Mayor Tom Menino admitted Wednesday he used a poor choice of words to describe what he would do with the city of Detroit.

In a recent interview in the New York Times Magazine, Menino was asked where he would live if he could live in any other U.S. city. He said Detroit is a place he'd love to go.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karen Twomey reports

When asked what he would do in Detroit, he said, "I'd blow up the place and start all over. No, seriously, when it takes a police officer 90 minutes to answer a call, there's something wrong with the system. Forty percent of the streetlights are out, most of the buildings are boarded up. Why? Inaction, that's the problem — leadership."

On Tuesday, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing accused Menino of insensitivity for the statements.

Bing said Menino's choice of words was "extremely regrettable."

At an event in Hyde Park Wednesday morning, Menino told WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karen Twomey, "I made a mistake, I apologize."

Menino said he stands by the numbers he cites in the article, claiming he got them from a financial report out of Detroit.

But, he admitted he used a "poor choice of words."

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