On Wednesday, June 24, local City Council hopefuls filed their candidacy before the 4 p.m. deadline at City Hall. Some had announced their candidacy months in advance, knocking doors and getting the word out. Others announced at the final hour, tossing their hat in the ring to contest incumbent races.
Who Can Run for City Council?
According to the 2026 candidate guide for local elected office, there are only three criteria to declare candidacy. Eligible candidates must: 1) Be a registered and eligible voter from the City of Providence; 2) Reside within the ward for which you are declaring; and 3) Be registered to vote from your residence at least 30 days prior to filing for the Declaration of Candidacy.
They Declared Candidacy. What’s Next?
The candidates listed below are not necessarily on the September 9 primary ballot just yet. First, they need to collect 50 signatures from registered voters in their ward by July 10. For mayor, the number of required signatures is higher, at 500 valid signatures.
Declared candidates have until July 13 to withdraw their candidacy. So there is a chance the candidates on the ballot may look different than those who have declared, depending on their ability to submit their nomination papers (signatures) and whether or not they stay in the race.
Here Are the Declared City Council Candidates, by Ward
If you are unsure of which ward you reside in, click here and search your address in the interactive ward boundary map.
Note: Incumbent candidates have an asterisk (*) next to their name. Candidate websites or campaign accounts linked when available.
Ward 1
- John Goncalves* (D)
- Miguel Martínez Youngs (D)
Ward 2
- Jill Davidson* (D)
Ward 3
- Jason Kashdan (D)
- Steven London (D)
- Yulyana Torres (D)
Ward 4
- Joseph Casoli (D)
- Justin Roias* (D)
Ward 5
- Jackie Goldman (D)
- Simon Sarkisian (D)
- Michael Solomon (D)
- Christopher Woodley (R)
Ward 6
- Jenny Mercado (D)
- Miguel Sanchez* (D)
Ward 7
- David Marshall (D)
- Ana Vargas* (D)
Ward 8
- James Taylor* (D)
Ward 9
- Carmen Castillo (D)
- Juan Pichardo* (D)
Ward 10
- Pedro Espinal* (D)
- Aubrey Planitz (D)
Ward 11
- Ron Crosson (D)
- Brian Guzman (D)
- Dwayne Keys (D)
- Gilberto Reynoso (D)
Ward 12
- Belen Florez (D)
- Althea Graves* (D)
- Robert Ricci (D)
Ward 13
- Connor Blier (D)
- Annajane Yolken (D)
Ward 14
- Shelley Peterson* (D)
- Ronald Iacobbo (R)
Ward 15
- Oscar Vargas* (D)
Keep on an eye out in the coming weeks for The Providence Eye’s VoterGuide, which will allow users to enter their address and get a personalized sample ballot. We will also be including responses to candidate questionnaires in the ballot. To help influence the policy questions raised in the questionnaire, fill out our Voters’ Voices survey.
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