Ezedi Running At-Large

Published Mar 19 2009, 10:56 AM by David S. Bernstein

I'm a couple of days late with this, but I think I'm still the first to report it: Egobudike "Ego" Ezedi, executive director of the Roxbury YMCA, sent an email letter out to his associates earlier this week, with this announcement:

I want to announce that I will be taking a nine-month leave of absence beginning Saturday, March 28, 2009 to begin campaigning full-time for one of four At-Large Boston City Council seats.

Ezedi's intention to run has been much-rumored for months. He ran in District 4, against Charles Yancey, six years ago, and put up a credible challenge that was ultimately defeated, as the "old guard" of the African-American community rallied around the incumbent.

Ezedi is 35 (if I'm not mistaken), a former aide to Mike Capuano, and former spokesperson for Boston University. He has also been an associate pastor at Morningstar Baptist Church. Expect him to present himself as part of a new generation of black leadership, running -- like Deval Patrick and Barack Obama -- as a politician who happens to be black, rather than a representative of the black community.

At the same time, of course, he will try to shore up key support in minority communities -- and try to capitalize on potentially higher-than usual African-American turnout for a competitive mayoral election.