Mike Bloomberg, a Medford guy, makes his pick in Senate race

"The endorsement is a testament to the significant work Alan Khazei has accomplished as a social entrepreneur and leader of the service movement,'' the release from Khazei's campaign said. "Alan Khazei is pleased to have the support of such a dedicated and accomplished public servant.''

Bloomberg plans to host a fundraiser next week at his home in New York for Khazei. “Alan is someone I have worked closely with, he is an entrepreneur and an educational reformer,'' the mayor said in a statement. "When we decided in New York to heed President Obama's call to volunteerism and create NYC Service, Alan was one of the first people whose advice I sought out. Massachusetts has big shoes to fill and the country needs someone with a track record and bold specific ideas to move the country forward, and Alan is that guy.”

The release says Bloomberg is "a longtime supporter of City Year,'' which Khazei co-founded. It also says he is a Medford native, though his biographer says he was born in Brighton.

In her recent book, Mike Bloomberg: Money, Politics, Power, author Joyce Purnick said young Bloomberg was ready to move on. The excerpt caused a bit of a stir among Medford lovers, not to mention Globe Columnist Kevin Cullin.

"Medford was quiet and dull and Mike was bored,'' Purnick writes. "The place could not contain him. He wanted up and out and since that was not about to happen for a while, he turned into a contrarian who followed his own agenda.''