Juan “Manny” Gonzalez has called Lawrence home since 1982 when he moved here from Maunabo, Puerto Rico with his parents and 7 of his siblings.

While at Lawrence High School, Manny met his wife of 38 years. Together, they have three amazing children and three beautiful grandchildren. Upon his graduation from Lawrence High School in 1986, he attended Salem State College (3 years) and received his associate’s degree from North Shore Community College in Fire Science.

Manny’s love for Lawrence can be seen through his community activities and the heroic job he has held for nearly 30 years. Since 1996, Manny has been a fire fighter in Lawrence, serving our residents and community when we are at our most vulnerable. During that time, he has been named Fire Fighter of the Year five times.

A long-time activist, Manny has a passion to give back to a community that has been so good to him and his family. He has served on local boards such as the Lawrence Emergency Fund. He has volunteered and been a coach for numerous community organizations like the Leahy School Leadership Team, the Lawrence Boys & Girls Club and Central Little League. He is also the Co-Founder of Heal Lawrence, a grassroots organization that has undertaken the mission of helping victims of fires and other disasters in Lawrence.

Recognizing the long history of culture in Lawrence, Manny has also been a member of several organizations in our community including the Instituto Cultural de Puerto Rico, Associacion de Arte y Cultura Puertoriqueña and Movimiento Puertoriqueño.

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Manny is running for Mayor of Lawrence because he deeply believes that our community has been divided for too long. Whether it be by which side of the river you live on, whether you are white or Latino, Puerto Rican or Dominican, the powers that be have found ways to divide us into smaller and smaller groups for generations. We can only move forward and thrive as a community if we do it as One Lawrence. With Juan “Manny” Gonzalez, that time is now!