Mayor Thomas M. Menino wants the field of 2008 presidential candidates to clam up on "phony issues" and start talking about "issues that matter," such as crime, housing and public education.

"Let's get to the heart of the issues," Menino said bluntly yesterday after a speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. "Everyone wants to talk about things that make headlines."

Menino, along with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, have taken the lead in recent days in a national push to get the presidential candidates focused on urban issues. Bloomberg and Menino, leaders of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, are sending out questionnaires to candidates asking them their positions on gun control and sentencing. The results will be posted on the organization's Web site and reported to the 250 mayors in the group.

Speaking at the Westin hotel in South Boston, Menino said the candidates have been overly focused on hot-button issues such as immigration instead of important matters including senior citizen housing, drugs and crime.

"That's one thing none of the presidential candidates are talking about - urban America," Menino said. "I'm tired of hearing about the phony issues. They're not issues that matter in my life. Let's get back to talking about issues that matter to America."