City Councilor John Connolly to run for mayor

BOSTON (WHDH) -- Boston City Councilor John Connolly announced his candidacy for mayor of Boston on Tuesday morning.

Connolly said, "I’m running for mayor because Boston should be the first city in America to transform urban public schools and offer every child a world-class education."

Connolly, 39, who graduated from Harvard and Boston College Law was elected to the city council in 2007. He held a rally Tuesday in Brighton to make his announcement to run for mayor.

He said as mayor he wants to take the city in a new direction, specifically focusing on the city’s school system.

“I don’t think our schools are getting the job done right now,” said Connolly. “Listen, I think it gets a failing grade. We’re not getting the job done for our students and we can do a lot -- listen this school system, if any school system in America, any urban system, can be transformed it’s Boston.”

Current Mayor Thomas Menino has not announced if he'll run for an unprecedented sixth term. Menino has been recovering from a series of illnesses that required a two-month hospital stay last fall. He has until May 13 to pull out the nomination papers to set the process in motion if he does attend to run for re-election.

7News reached out to the mayor’s office and they did not have a comment on Connolly’s announcement or if Menino will run for re-election.