Colón is challenging City Council President Steve Merolla.

Life-long Warwick resident Zachary Colón announced his candidacy for Warwick City Council in Ward 9. That seat is currently held by City Council President Steve Merolla. Colón is a student at Rhode Island College as a secondary education and history major. His goal is to become a high school history teacher in the next few years.

“I’ve lived in Warwick since I was two weeks old. I’ve grown up in the same neighborhood since I was a baby,” said Colón. “I love this city, and after a Kindergarten to senior year experience in our public schools, I see things I want to help fix. Our schools need help, and when they are essentially level-funded each year by the City Council, changes need to be made. The same councilman has represented my ward since before I was born. If term limits aren’t enacted by the city, they must be enacted by the people’s vote in the 2020 primary election.”

Before college, Colón was a leader at Toll Gate High School, serving as president of both the senior class and student senate. In late December 2016, Colón organized a student walkout of over one hundred Toll Gate and Pilgrim High School students to protest the failure to adequately service the needs of special education students. “This effort, along with other protests supporting the health, education, and safety of our students, brought national attention to the city of Warwick, Rhode Island,” said Colón. “When our school district isn’t given enough money to fund middle and high school level athletics, provide an equitable education to all, or even feed our underprivileged students lunch for free, there’s a problem that must be solved.”

“Bright, dedicated, and invested in Warwick, Zach Colón knows that our schools are the future of our city,” said Warwick School Committee Chairperson Karen Bachus. “He will listen, plan, and work together to make our schools, and our city, stronger than ever.”

Colón plans to focus his campaign on a platform of equity and justice in Warwick. He will fight for the safety and quality public education of our students, economic equality, environmental justice, and plans to work hard against corruption in the city government.

[From a press release]