Harvard Student Activist To Run For Newton City Council

NEWTON, MA — A Harvard University student and activist announced she plans to run for Newton City Council in the special election early next year.

Madeline Ranalli, 20, who was the political strategist for the March for Our Lives movement in Massachusetts, said she is running for the City Council At-Large seat from Ward 1, that was left vacant last month when City Councilor Jay Ciccone died unexpectedly at 55. The date for the special election has not yet been set. Ranalli is the first to announce her candidacy for Ciccone's seat.

"I’m part of a generation that’s grown up very fast politically—because we’ve had no choice," she said in a statement. "We have a responsibility to take on the many urgent problems that we all face. Whether it’s been advocating for gun violence prevention legislation, marching alongside other young activists, or organizing around racial justice here in Newton, I’ve been committed to advocating for important change."

Ranalli graduated from Newton Public Schools, where she said she first began organizing around causes like climate change, gender equity and gun violence. She is studying government, public policy and environmental science at Harvard University.

She was the political director for the Massachusetts chapter of March for Our Lives, a youth-led gun violence prevention organization, and she is a board member of the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence.

Her campaigning chops include work in U.S. Senator Ed Markey’s office, campaigns for Elizabeth Warren and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Gonzalez.

Ranalli said a priority should she win a seat on the city council will be to advance affordable housing, transportation, responsive governance, racial and gender equity and measures to combat climate change.

A bilingual Italian-American, a member of Newton’s Temple Emanuel, and as the granddaughter of a wartime refugee, Ranalli said she is dedicated to building bridges between people of different backgrounds, faiths and generations.

"I feel strongly about preserving the traditions of the beloved neighborhoods of Ward 1, including Nonantum," she said.

When the city sets the date for the special election, which will include a race for Ward 2 to replace City Councilor Jake Auchincloss as he steps down to take a seat in Congress as well as to fill Ciccone's seat in Ward 1, Ranalli and other candidates will need to pull papers from the city clerk's office, and garner 150 signatures to get on the ballot.

Read more:

• Race To Replace Newton City Councilor Takes Shape
• City Councilor Jay Ciccone Dies

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how