[From a press release]

John Goncalves on Monday announced he’s running for Providence City Council Ward 1, seeking to succeed Seth Yurdin after Yurdin’s resignation on Thursday.

John Goncalves has been a resident of Ward 1 as a Fox Point and East Side community member for over 25 years. He attended Vartan Gregorian and frequented The Fox Point Boys and Girls Club, and the Providence Public Library as a child. John eventually graduated with a B.A. from Brown University and also received a master’s degree from Brown University.

Goncalves is a passionate educator at the Wheeler School in Providence and a community advocate who has worked to advance issues on education, environmental justice, and neighborhood quality of life. Currently, John also serves as a board member of the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, the Brown Alumni Association Board of Governors, and has been spearheading a Providence Coalition of Neighborhood Associations that has included representation from over 19 neighborhood associations across the city including the Fox Point Neighborhood Association, The Wayland Square Neighborhood Association, The College Hill Neighborhood Association, and The Mile of History Neighborhood Association in Ward 1. He has been a proponent for bringing neighborhoods across the city together in order to work collaboratively to tackle common neighborhood challenges and city-wide issues.

Prior to moving back to Providence, John served as an educator for several years in Minnesota where he was a faculty leader. Outside of being an educator, John has been involved in many political campaigns including roles as Chair of the Minnesota Senate District 60 Committee, Administrative Director,  Strategy Director, Policy Aide, and Director of Student Engagement in key city council, mayoral, attorney general and senatorial races. John previously served as an elected board member of the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood association, the oldest and largest neighborhood association in Minneapolis. Furthermore, John has served as a mentor for the Big Brother Big Sister of the Greater Twin Cities organization.

Additionally, John is the author of the children’s book It’s Important: Teaching The Importance of Kindness, Empathy, Inclusivity, Difference and Compassion. His books are designed to embrace multiculturalism and diversity and to promote social-emotional development and character growth.

He will run as a Democrat who champions neighborhood quality of life issues that put people and community first. As an elected official, he will fight earnestly for Ward 1 taxpayers and resident services, Providence public education, affordable housing, environmental justice, social justice, women and LQBTQ rights, smart development, and issues that will improve the quality of life of children, families, and senior citizens in Ward 1 and Providence.

To donate to John’s campaign, please visit: johnforward1.com If you would like more information about John, please email [email protected].