Ford Hall Forum at Suffolk University kicks off its 2013 Fall series of lectures two days after the Boston preliminary election with a discussion of "The Menino Legacy: Down To The Wire" from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26, at the C. Walsh Theatre, 55 Temple St., Boston.

The panel is made up of these civic opinion-shapers:

• Lawrence S. DiCara, a partner at Nixon Peabody and a former Boston City Council president and mayoral candidate
• Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe associate editor and op-ed columnist
• Mary Anne Marsh, Democratic strategist and commentator
• John Nucci, Suffolk University vice president for government and community affairs and a former Boston City Council member and mayoral candidate.

The moderator is Mary Jo Meisner, vice president for communications, community relations and public affairs at the Boston Foundation.

Suffolk University President James McCarthy will introduce the evening's proceedings.

When Mayor Thomas Menino, the city of Boston's longest serving mayor, announced last March that he would not seek reelection, a lengthy roster of mayoral candidates stepped forward -- at one point 24 total -- and set the stage for a tumultuous and confusing campaign season.

Finalists State Rep. Martin Walsh and City Councilor John Connolly now have little over a month to make their case to the voters. The panelists will look at how the outcome of this mayoral race will affect the future of the city and region.

The Ford Hall Forum is the nation’s oldest free public lecture series. It promotes freedom of speech and fosters an informed and effective citizenry through events that illuminate the key issues facing our society.

The forum presents knowledgeable and thought-provoking speakers, including some of the most controversial opinion leaders of our times, in settings that facilitate frank and open debate.

Admission is free and open to all.