Jane L. Gonsalves is serving her eighth-term City Councillor in New Bedford. She has served as Ward Five Councillor longer than any of her predecessors.  She was first elected to the seat in 1993, in her first run for public office. In 1999, she became the first woman of Portuguese descent to be elected to the Office of City Council President in New Bedford. In 2008, she became the first woman to serve a second term as City Council President.

Councillor Gonsalves is a life-long resident of New Bedford. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Providence College in 1980, with a B.A. in Economics.  In 2003, she received an Exemplary Citizenship Award from the Providence College Alumni Association. In addition to her City Council duties, Councillor Gonsalves is employed as a Senior Claims Specialist for the Hanover Insurance Company. She is the daughter of Fernanda “Fern” Gonsalves of New Bedford and the late Richard Gonsalves also of New Bedford.

In addition to her community involvement as an elected official, Councillor Gonsalves serves many community organizations in various capacities. She is a former member of the Board of Directors of the YWCA of Southeastern Massachusetts. She has previously served on the Boards of the Friends of Buttonwood Park. She is a member of the New Bedford Preservation Society, W.H.A.L.E., and the Portuguese-American Police Association.  Councillor Gonsalves has been honored for her efforts several times. In 1998, she received the Brotherhood Award from the New Bedford Chapter of the Prince Henry Society of Massachusetts.  In 2005, the New Bedford Preservation Society awarded her its Tony and Elsie Souza Preservation Award for her exemplary efforts in furthering the cause of historic preservation in the City of New Bedford.