I have been actively engaged in the Dorchester community all my life – from participating in organizing park and field cleanups, block parties, and fundraisers to volunteering as a youth coach for basketball leagues at the Little House and soccer teams at McConnell Park. I have also proudly served as vice president of the Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association and worked on numerous local campaigns.

In 2010, with the support of my family and friends, I answered a personal calling, one that I was unaware even existed for me, with my decision to run for City Councillor in District 3 after hearing that 17-year veteran City Councillor Maureen Feeney had made her decision not to seek reelection. Sitting on the city council may not have been what I had seen for myself, but it quickly became my life’s work.

I will always remember with humility the grass roots work in that first campaign: walking through each neighborhood in the 95+ degree days of summer, knocking on doors, being invited into people’s homes, and having meaningful and tough conversations with the residents. Along the way, I made new friends and allies and eventually participated in public debates, where I declared my intentions and commitment to every resident of District 3.

The days were long, and the sleep was short. I was up at 5 a.m. and standing outside of train stations before 6 a.m., then rushing home to see my children (4-year-old twins) before they went off to school. After that, I got dropped off in a neighborhood and canvassed for the rest of the day. Some days, my wife would meet up with me between going from one job to the other with a sandwich and words of encouragement (twenty minutes in a car with air conditioning was one of the highlights of my midsummer days).

I’d finish my day in a different neighborhood, return to commuter rush hour sites, head off to stand-outs, check in with my family just after dinner in time to say good night, then head back out to community events, followed by campaign volunteer meetings and subsequent debrief meetings with my campaign manager and inner circle.

That was undoubtedly the longest summer of my life, and I could not have survived it were it not for the many people who held me up at the end of a draining day, who sacrificed their own precious family time, who phone-banked and stood shoulder to shoulder with me. The odds were wildly against us on that first campaign, but our devotion and hard work, along with the steadfast support of District 3 paid off, as was evidenced by my historic win. It was an exhilarating experience for many of us, and my family and I will always be grateful to everyone who jumped in and gave it all to my first run!

Since that election, our Team Baker base has grown exponentially, and I am so proud of all that we have accomplished together. We have achieved many milestones together. Our office advocated for a new Adams Street Library Branch with an $18.3 million investment from former Mayor Walsh. The library has nearly doubled its previous footprint, offering 260 seats and collections of over 27,000 volumes. It now features floor to ceiling windows, accessible entrances, advanced technology, and community and outdoor spaces.

Partnering with city, state, and federal agencies, we championed intentional renovations for local park and athletic fields like the Garvey, Ryan Playground, and the Downer Avenue and McConnell parks, keeping inclusion and climate resilience at the forefront of the design to include: a playground for 2-to-5 year olds, a play space for 5-to-12 year olds, water play, men’s and women’s lacrosse and flag football leagues, basketball and street hockey courts, dog parks, shade structures and field house terrace lighting, scoreboards, trees and planted areas, Little League fields with batting cages, multipurpose softball, soccer and challenger fields, bleachers and shaded dugouts, drinking fountains and irrigation. In all, tremendous investments in our children, our climate, and the future of our city.

Together with Public Facilities, Boston Fire, and elected officials, we took the Meetinghouse Hill Firehouse from inception to design, breaking ground for the new Engine 17 Station this past Winter. The building design aids in the health and safety of our firefighters, as it includes red, neutral, and green hazard zones for firefighters to safely decontaminate carcinogens when returning from fires. I have prioritized investing in the infrastructure, especially when it will help first responders.

My office initiated and secured funding for the initial City-Wide Mobile Sharps Team, a program designed to ensure the safe disposal of needles and syringes to protect the public and the environment.

We worked collaboratively across different agencies to lower the speed limit on city streets to 25 mph to help enhance safety, protect the most vulnerable road users, pedestrians, and bicyclists, and reduce emissions and noise among many other benefits.

I created an ordinance to outlaw the possession, sale, manufacturing, and distribution of the synthetic marijuana drug known as “K-2” or “Spice.” This drug was targeted toward our young people and was being sold, wrapped in plastic, covered with cartons, and labeled as incense at gas stations and smoke shops. Consuming it can cause anxiety, high blood pressure, nausea, seizures, hallucinations and even suicidal thoughts or behaviors.

I am just as proud of the administrative work my office handles as well. My staff members have maintained a stellar reputation for their responsiveness to callers’ needs, regardless of whether the person resides within District 3. Constituent Services has always been a top priority and we respond to thousands of calls in assisting with fundamental issues like street light outages, potholes, snow, tree and graffiti removal, absentee landlords, and consumer affairs issues. We have helped countless people with housing needs, with entering treatment and recovery programs, finding job opportunities while facilitating so much more.

We have made the district, and Boston, a better place in which to live, work, and do business. We have been heavily involved in the development boom across D3, and more recently, we worked to create a life science job training facility right here in Dorchester.

Moving forward, there is an opportunity to continue to transform District 3. Columbia Point Peninsula, through the Dorchester Bay City project, has the potential to offer much-needed transportation, pedestrian, and infrastructure improvements, create both on and off-site affordable housing, workforce housing, and so much more. We must continue to work within our perimeters to ensure that this project comes to fruition for the betterment of our community.

I am incredibly proud of our achievements and excited about the opportunities that lie ahead. I did not come to this decision against running again lightly, but it is the right time for my family and I to begin the next chapter. I will always serve this community in some capacity. From Adams Village, Worcester Square, Savin Hill, Meetinghouse Hill, Bowdoin and Geneva to Jones Hill: THANK YOU, District 3, for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am forever grateful.

Frank Baker represents District 3 on the Boston City Council.