With City Council President Steven McAllister not running for reelection, Ward 7 is an open race for the first time in eight years, and one challenger has already thrown her hat in the ring.

Jackie Anderson, a nursing supervisor who grew up in Warwick, announced her candidacy on Monday. At age 40, she still lives in the city on a side street just off of West Shore Road.

“It’s funny, because when I was little, I said ‘I’m going to live in this neighborhood when I grow up,’ and then I did,” Anderson said. “It all worked out, and we’re very happy and not going anywhere anytime soon.”

In addition to her day job as a nursing supervisor, Anderson is also chair of the Rhode Island Women’s Democratic Caucus, a board member of the Womxn Project, and a board member of Nora’s Haven, an organization which helps survivors of domestic violence.

Anderson first ran for office in 2022 in a primary against Speaker of the House Joe Shekarchi. That campaign, she said, was largely based on trying to raise awareness for the Equality in Abortion Coverage Act (EACA), which passed the State House this year.

After that, she anticipated not running for office, but when McAllister decided he would not seek reelection, Anderson heard from residents imploring her to run for his seat.

“They said they thought I’d be good to that seat,” Anderson said. “So I said, why not?”

Following in McAllister’s shoes, Anderson said, would be an honor. She said that he has done a great job as Council President, and his work could be most clearly seen in the city’s repaving projects.

Anderson and McAllister met over the past weekend, where they discussed their vision for the ward and what they hoped it would become.

“Do [our visions] align? I’d say for the most part, they do,” Anderson said. “Obviously, there’s always going to be one or two things, but he’s done a lot of really good stuff for the ward and for all of Warwick.”

Should she be elected, Anderson said that among her top priorities would be focusing on the construction of two new high schools, as well as focusing on building more housing in the city.

New housing, Anderson said, is something that she wants to make sure is implemented properly.

“A majority of our elderly folks have a hard time finding accessible living, with wheelchairs and making sure the doors are accessible and wide enough,” Anderson said. “We’re focusing on building housing, but let’s make sure that’s including everybody.”

Anderson plans to walk the ward in the near future in order to introduce herself to residents. She is unsure if she will face opposition, noting that she wouldn’t be surprised if others were seriously considering running after McAllister announced his retirement, but said that no matter what, she hopes walking the ward will walk her to the victory path.

“The way to win an election is knocking doors,” Anderson said. “You’ve got to get out there. You have to talk to people. You have to find out what their concerns are… seeing what their biggest priority is, and making that mine, because that’s why I’m there. I’m there to serve the people.”