Frank Baker, a scrappy blast from the past who used to regularly mix it up with progressives, is running for City Council again but will he actually help reform the scandal-scared institution?

Baker, the former Dorchester district councilor, is running for an at-large seat which will pit him against President Ruthzee Louijeune and one of Mayor Michelle Wu’s hand-picked flunkies, Henry Santana.

He was part of what was viewed as the council’s conservative wing for 12 years and should make the race a lot more interesting because of his potential clashes with Wu and others.

“I have heard a steady beat of Bostonians urging me to step back in and get involved,” he said on X, announcing his candidacy.

The question is whether Bostonians will welcome him back or reject him as part of the quickly disappearing “old Boston.” He should be good for headlines but will he be great for the council, which badly needs reasonable and credible voices?

But Baker is viewed as an independent thinker who is not afraid to go against Wu or the progressive wing, which now dominate the council.

He was one of just two votes against Wu’s rent control proposal and is a political ally of former Mayor Marty Walsh.

“I get viewed as conservative, or whatever – I’m exactly in the middle, I think,” Baker told WBUR in 2023. “I refuse to shut up.”

Baker, 58, certainly could be bombastic. He once accused a fellow councilor, LIz Breadon, of being anti-Catholic because she’s from Northern Ireland, a charge for which he later apologized.

The dustup flared over redistricting, which Baker opposed and Breadon supported. The Dorchester councilor said priests were concerned about it.

“And they’re viewing this exercise as an all-out assault on Catholic life in Boston,” he said. “And it’s not lost on them that the person leading the charge is a Protestant from (Northern Ireland).

Councilors called an unplanned recess after “gasps” were heard in the audience, reports said.

“This is an insult. It is an absolute disgrace,” Breadon shot back.

Baker was part of a lawsuit against the city council’s redistricting plan, which was eventually thrown out by a federal judge because it took race into account.

But Baker’s former constituents – especially those in the large Vietnamese community – describe him as a moderate and a hard worker who fought for their needs and helped improve the Dorchester district.

Baker could be a welcome lone wolf on the council who votes the way he sees it and not be influenced by Wu. Or if he doesn’t tone it down, he could be just another embarrassment in the clown show that is the council.

The level of discourse is so low and petty now, the council needs some adults to bring respect back to the chamber.

But is Baker the voice of reason to right the ship? And is he out of touch with the majority of the city?

And with former Councilor Michael Flaherty – booted from his cushy city job – thinking of coming back to run again, Boston voters could think they were watching Back to the Future.