John Oliver Is Running For Newton City Council

NEWTON, MA — John Oliver is running for the open Ward 1 At-Large Newton City Councilor seat. No, not that John Oliver.

"I do wear glasses, but I do not have an accent," said the Newton resident about the name he shares with a famous comedian.

Oliver said Friday he plans to run for City Council in the special election in March. Madeline Ranalli, a 20-year-old Harvard University student and activist, announced earlier this month.

Read more: Newton Eyes March For Special City Council Election

Oliver has lived in Newton since 2002 when he moved here from Michigan. He and his wife Melissa have a 14-year-old son who attends Newton Public Schools.

"John is running because he wants Newton to be available to young couples and new families the same way it was to him and his family," according to a statement from his campaign.

The candidate said he will prioritize affordable housing, schools, improving amenities in the city, helping Newton transition to clean energy and managing the city's budget.

Oliver was active in 2018 during the city’s search to find a space for an upgraded senior center. He said he pushed to have the NewCAL project away from parks and toward keeping it where it is in Newtonville.

He's also been involved in the Horace Mann elementary PTO, a volunteer coach for Newton Youth Soccer, a volunteer with the Newton Food Pantry, and he was appointed to the Newton Community Education, a self-sustaining branch of Newton Public Schools that provides online classes for adults and youth.

He has an undergraduate degree from Michigan State in industrial organizational psychology and attended the Harvard Extension School. He has worked in communications and marketing and development for the past 25 years at several Boston area companies, most recently he worked on customer experience at Dunnhumby from 2017 to 2019, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The city council is set to vote this month on a recommendation to hold a special election in March.

The two seats that will be decided in the election were held by Jake Auchincloss, who was elected to Congress in November and Jay Ciccone, who died unexpectedly Nov. 7.

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.