The nephew of a current St. John's city councillor has announced he'll be vying for his uncle's seat in the upcoming municipal elections.

Jonathan Galgay has declared that he'll be running for Ward 2 — the seat his uncle, Frank Galgay, currently holds.

Frank Galgay, who has served as on council for several years, has said he won't be running in the next election.

Jonathan Galgay, who currently works as a senior analyst with the provincial government's justice department, said the timing was right for his campaign.

"I've always had an interest in municipal politics, and Frank has certainly been a role model for myself and all those who choose to run for public office," he said.

"Given that it's something I wanted to do, and then Frank surprised us all when he announced his retirement — I thought, 'What a great opportunity to roll out a good campaign.'"

He said he has learned a lot from his uncle.

"Frank is a gentleman. He's served the city with great distinction for almost 16 years," he said.

"I've learned that you can never make quick assumptions or judgments about people. Everybody has an equal voice and everybody deserves to be heard," he said.

The younger Galgay said he wants to work with neighbourhood associations and residents to determine what their priorities are.

Municipal elections will take place throughout Newfoundland and Labrador this September.