Rochester School Board President Malik Evans says he is planning to run for Susan John's seat in the 131st Assembly district in November.

"I am going to attempt to run as a Democrat," Evans said in a telephone interview Friday. "I have a good track record, but I don't think I am the establishment candidate."

Evans, 30, joins a growing list of candidates vying for John's seat, including his Board colleague Willa Powell, and the presumed party favorite, Harry Bronson.

Evans said he has not talked to party leaders David Gantt or Joe Morelle. That could be a tricky, since Evans has been an outspoken opponent of Mayor Bob Duffy's interest in taking control of the city school district. Both Gantt and Morelle support mayoral control.

But the mayoral control issue has nothing to do with his decision to run for the Assembly seat, Evans said.

Evans, who is serving his second term on the Board, said his experience in the Rochester school district has shown him that many of the problems in urban education originate in Albany.

He also said that the region's leaders haven't been aggressive enough in bringing jobs to Rochester and growing the area's economy.

"It's clear that Albany needs to be under a microscope," Evans said. "People get elected, then they go there and they forget about the reasons why the people at home elected them."