City Councilor Mike Ross is considering a run to replace retiring Congressman Barney Frank—a move that would require him to move out of Boston and into the 4th Congressional District.
But, Ross told the Gazette, he is not yet packing his bags to move back to Newton—where he grew up and Frank lives.
Ross lives in Mission Hill and the neighborhood is part of his City Council district.
“I call one place home and that’s Mission Hill. But before there was Mission Hill, there was Newton,” he said.
In a surprise announcement Monday, Frank said that after 30 years in Congress, he will retire when his term ends next year.
“People asked me if I was looking at it and I said, ‘Yeah, I am looking at it,’” Ross said of recent media reports that he is considering a run for the vacant seat.
“I was surprised as everyone is” about Frank’s announcement, Ross said. “We are losing a fighter for this entire state and the country.”
He said he has not had any time since the Monday announcement to seriously consider what he will do. “Everything at this point is very preliminary…There is a lot to take in for all of us. I want to get a few free moments,” he said.
But, he said, anyone who is planning to run will have to “make a decision relatively soon.”