Frank Baker is officially running for Boston City Council, in a somewhat surprising bid for a return to city government, just two years after he opted against seeking reelection to the Dorchester-centric seat he held for more than a decade.
Baker, a past conservative voice on a left-leaning City Council, filed his statement of candidacy with the city’s Elections Department on Thursday, after stating earlier this week that he was considering a run.
Rather than vying for the District 3 seat he held for 12 years, Baker, a Democrat and lifelong Dorchester resident, is running citywide for the first time. He is seeking one of the four at-large seats on the Council.
“I am back! Going at-large,” Baker posted on X Thursday. “Since I stepped back from my role on the City Council, I have heard a steady drumbeat of Bostonians urging me to step back in and get involved.
“After much deliberation and discussion, I have decided to answer the calls and do just that,” he added.
Baker, in an April 2023 statement announcing that he would not be seeking reelection, cited a desire to spend more time with his family. He also mentioned that he did not have the bandwidth to devote “round-the-clock dedication” to serving as a city councilor, which he said is what he sees the job as requiring.
Though Baker didn’t elaborate on those reasons, he was involved in contentious exchanges with his fellow councilors over his last term on the body, and was critical of the city’s mayor, Michelle Wu, who is up for reelection this year.
Baker opposed changes made to District 3 in the initial redistricting map approved by the City Council in fall 2022, and was one of two councilors who helped to fund a subsequent lawsuit filed against the city by community members.
A federal judge sided with the community members who filed suit, ruling that the Council had likely violated the Constitution when factoring race into the establishment of the city’s districting map. The map was thrown out by the courts, and the Council had to redraw district lines, and approve a new map as a result, drawing a contentious and lengthy process filled with infighting to a close.
Baker didn’t comment on why he chose to seek an at-large seat, rather than his longtime District 3, saying only 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 moderate Democrat who replaced him on the Council in January 2024, in the fall 2023 election.
FitzGerald is seeking reelection to the District 3 seat, which Baker was previously elected to for six terms, and includes most of Dorchester, and a portion of South Boston and the South End.
With his decision to go the at-large route, Baker will likely be facing all four incumbents, who have filed paperwork with the city’s Elections Department.
Larry DiCara, a former city council president and longtime observer of Boston politics, said he expects that two of the at-large incumbents, City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune and Erin Murphy, “are in great shape.”
“The other two will have to hustle,” DiCara said, referring to Julia Mejia and Henry Santana.
Louijeune and Murphy were neck and neck at the top of the ticket in the November 2023 Council election.
Murphy, who sat alongside Baker on the City Council and considers him a friend, was generally supportive of his decision to jump into the race, despite facing a situation where they may be drawing from the same pool of moderate to conservative voters.
“Frank is a seasoned public servant who knows what it takes to run a serious citywide campaign,” Murphy said in a Thursday statement. “I served alongside him for years and saw firsthand his unwavering commitment to fighting for the underdog and delivering for the people of Boston, especially when it came to constituent services.
“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 announcing his decision to step down in April 2023, Baker said his Council tenure resulted in “an even more thriving and vibrant community” for his district.
For example, he said at the time, there had been “substantial advancements in the expansion of the housing market, along with growth and development of our business communities.”
Baker will have a little over a week to gather signatures. Nomination forms must be returned to the city’s Elections Department by May 20.
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