Frank Baker is formally working for Boston Metropolis Council, in a considerably stunning bid for a return to metropolis authorities, simply two years after he opted towards in search of reelection to the Dorchester-centric seat he held for greater than a decade.
Baker, a previous conservative voice on a left-leaning Metropolis Council, filed his assertion of candidacy with the town’s Elections Division on Thursday, after stating earlier this week that he was contemplating a run.
Quite than vying for the District 3 seat he held for 12 years, Baker, a Democrat and lifelong Dorchester resident, is working citywide for the primary time. He’s in search of one of many 4 at-large seats on the Council.
When reached for remark, Baker referred the Herald to statements he made on social media.
“I am back! Going at-large,” Baker posted on X Thursday. “Since I stepped again from my function on the Metropolis Council, I’ve heard a gradual drumbeat of Bostonians urging me to step again in and become involved.
“After much deliberation and discussion, I have decided to answer the calls and do just that,” he added.
Baker, in an April 2023 assertion asserting that he wouldn’t be in search of reelection, cited a need to spend extra time along with his household. He additionally talked about that he didn’t have the bandwidth to dedicate “round-the-clock dedication” to serving as a metropolis councilor, which he mentioned is what he sees the job as requiring.
Although Baker didn’t elaborate on these causes, he was concerned in contentious exchanges along with his fellow councilors over his final time period on the physique, and was essential of the town’s mayor, Michelle Wu, who’s up for reelection this 12 months.
Baker opposed modifications made to District 3 within the preliminary redistricting map accredited by the Metropolis Council in fall 2022, and was considered one of two councilors who helped to fund a subsequent lawsuit filed towards the town by group members.
A federal decide sided with the group members who filed swimsuit, ruling that the Council had possible violated the Structure when factoring race into the institution of the town’s districting map. The map was thrown out by the courts, and the Council needed to redraw district traces, and approve a brand new map because of this, drawing a contentious and prolonged course of full of infighting to an in depth.
Baker didn’t touch upon why he selected to hunt an at-large seat, moderately than his longtime District 3 submit, saying solely that he “pulled papers to run for an at-large seat on the City Council, where I will continue to be a strong, independent voice for the people of Boston.”
Baker endorsed District 3 Councilor John FitzGerald, a reasonable Democrat who changed him on the Council in January 2024, within the fall 2023 election.
FitzGerald is in search of reelection to the District 3 seat, which Baker was beforehand elected to for six phrases, and contains most of Dorchester, and a portion of South Boston and the South Finish.
Along with his choice to go the at-large route, Baker will possible be going through all 4 incumbents, who’ve filed paperwork with the town’s Elections Division.
Larry DiCara, a former metropolis council president and longtime observer of Boston politics, mentioned in a latest interview that he expects two of the at-large incumbents, Metropolis Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and Erin Murphy, “are in great shape.”
“The other two will have to hustle,” DiCara mentioned, referring to Julia Mejia and Henry Santana.
Louijeune and Murphy had been neck and neck on the high of the ticket within the November 2023 Council election.
Murphy, who sat alongside Baker on the Metropolis Council and considers him a good friend, was typically supportive of his choice to leap into the race, regardless of going through a state of affairs the place they could be drawing from the identical pool of reasonable to conservative voters.
“Frank is a seasoned public servant who knows what it takes to run a serious citywide campaign,” Murphy mentioned in a Thursday assertion. “I served alongside him for years and noticed firsthand his unwavering dedication to preventing for the underdog and delivering for the individuals of Boston, particularly when it got here to constituent companies.
“His decision to officially enter the race tells me he sees something missing on the Council right now, and he believes he has more to offer. I respect that,” she added. “Elections are about choices, and I welcome a robust, issues-focused campaign that gives voters a clear look at what each of us brings to the table.”
When asserting his choice to step down in April 2023, Baker mentioned his Council tenure resulted in “an even more thriving and vibrant community” for his district.
For instance, he mentioned on the time, there had been “substantial advancements in the expansion of the housing market, along with growth and development of our business communities.”
Baker may have slightly over per week to collect signatures. Nomination types have to be returned to the town’s Elections Division by Could 20.
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