Lawrence City Councilor Pavel Payano announces run for state Senate

Jan. 21—LAWRENCE — Fresh from re-election to the Lawrence City Council in November, Pavel Payano is announcing his candidacy for senator for the First Essex District.

"I'm answering the call to continue my service on behalf of the residents of Haverhill, Methuen and Lawrence. In the Senate, I will represent the residents of the First Essex District with the same passion, integrity, and resolve that has characterized my eleven years of public service in the city of Lawrence. I know what it takes to meet the needs of this district from my experience as a public servant, social worker, and as Special Assistant to Congresswoman Niki Tsongas," Payano wrote in a statement released to The Eagle-Tribune.

Payano, a city councilor and School Committee member for the past 11 years, said he has already raised $30,000.

He said he is "ready on day one to work with stakeholders across sectors to provide high-quality constituent services for the diverse residents of the First Essex District. The communities of this district can rest assured that I will fight on behalf of the families, students, seniors, and small businesses that make up this district."

Payano said his family immigrated to Lawrence in the late 1980s in search of the American dream. For the past three decades, his parents Pedro and Maria Payano, have been dedicated Lawrence Public School teachers and civic leaders.

He said his parents taught him "the value of hard work, an education, and service to others."

Payano has a bachelor's degree in Political Science from UMass Amherst, a master's degree in Public Affairs from UMass Boston and a law degree from Suffolk University Law School. He is the Director of Community Mobilization for the Social Innovation Fund, a non-profit whose mission is to create positive social change in greater Boston and surrounding areas,

For more information, check out Payano's website at pavelpayano.com.