Wall weighs run for council
Pastor seeks platform to air views on crime
Bruce Wall, a controversial Dorchester pastor and a vocal critic of Mayor Thomas M. Menino, is weighing a run for a district seat on the Boston City Council.
Wall would run in Menino's home district of Hyde Park, challenging incumbent Rob Consalvo, a reliable Menino ally, in hope of gaining a platform to challenge the mayor's policies on crime.
"We have a crisis in our city, and the mayor is spending more time trying to shut me up than he is fighting crime," Wall said yesterday. "He has failed in protecting the city because of his anger and his bitterness."
A Wall candidacy would probably spark vigorous opposition from Menino, who has made no secret of his disdain for the pastor, and Wall would use his campaign as a bully pulpit from which to raise the stakes of his criticism of the mayor.
"The mayor would throw everything he had at me, including the kitchen sink," Wall said. "I would be running against the mayor. Consalvo would be lost in the whole thing, quite frankly."
Wall, pastor of Global Ministries Christian Church, has been adroit at getting attention for his causes, recently demanding that Menino declare a state of emergency in the city because of crime near his Dorchester church. Last week, he issued a warning to tourists, saying that Boston is not a safe place to visit. He also marched with the Guardian Angels, a self-appointed anticrime patrol that came to Boston despite the protests of Menino and Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis.
Some political observers who have been waitng for candidates who can capitalize on the grass-roots excitement generated by Governor Deval Patrick's campaign said Wall could be one.
"He's been the lone voice out here for all this climbing violence," said Joyce Ferriabough-Bolling, a political strategist in Roxbury. "It's been Bruce, beating the drum saying, 'Things are getting bad.' "
But there was also skepticism about Wall's ability to convert anger about crime in Dorchester and Roxbury into votes in Hyde Park and Roslindale, where he must run against a popular incumbent candidate.
"I learned a long time ago that the lesson in politics is to learn how to count," said Horace Small, executive director of the Union of Minority Neighborhoods, an organization that trains community activists. "I'm trying to count, and I don't see how this adds up in Hyde Park. Where are the votes coming from? I don't see it."
Still, some said Wall could find a way to appeal to a rapidly changing part of the city. District Five -- which includes Hyde Park, part of Mattapan, and Roslindale -- jumped from 21.3 percent nonwhite in 1990 to 48.3 percent nonwhite in 2000, the largest increase in the city. Menino represented the area for a decade before becoming mayor; Wall has lived in Hyde Park for 12 years.
Even an unsuccessful campaign would give Wall months to rail in the media against Menino and crime policies before elections in the fall.
Menino met yesterday with several clergy members to discuss solutions to crime problems in the city. Wall was not included in the mayor's meeting with the Rev. Jeffrey Brown, cofounder of the Ten Point Coalition, the Rev. William E. Dickerson II of Greater Love Tabernacle in Dorchester, and the Rev. Ray Hammond of the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jamaica Plain.
"This is not a time for politics," Menino said through a spokeswoman last night. "We need to unite and find solutions to help the young people of our city feel safe."
Wall said he also considered running for one of the four at-large seats, but said that he didn't think he could raise the funds to mount a citywide campaign. He estimates it will cost about $60,000 to $75,000 to run for a district seat. He said he has not yet started raising money, but is hoping he can bank on his name recognition.
Wall said he will make a final decision in the next two weeks and announce it on his radio show.
"I welcome anybody that wants to run," said Consalvo, who has held the seat since 2002. "Anyone running is a positive thing."
Donovan Slack of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com. 