Patrick Brown seeking re-election as mayor of Brampton

Patrick Brown announced he is running for re-election as mayor of Brampton on Monday after recently being booted out of the leadership race for the Conservative Party of Canada.

Brown handed in his official paperwork to run again at Brampton city hall on Monday morning.

“I love serving the city. This is truly an incredible place to live,” Brown said, speaking to reporters alongside his wife and two children on the steps of city hall.

“I’m looking forward to the next four years.”

Last week, a spokesperson for Brown said he had not yet made a decision about running for re-election and said he needed to talk with his family and friends first.

Earlier this month, Brown was disqualified from the federal leadership race over an allegation that he breached federal financing laws.

He contends his campaign did nothing wrong and is seeking an appeal, hiring high-profile lawyer Marie Henein as his counsel.

Brown entered the race without resigning his job as mayor and previously said he would consider running again in Brampton’s October municipal election if he thought he couldn’t win the federal race.

“I’m still going to speak up if we’re shortchanged on transit, if we’re shortchanged on infrastructure, where we have historically, I will be loud, and I will be heard to make sure that residents in this city are never shortchanged,” Brown said.

It will be up to him to convince voters that the mayoral race was not his second choice, Brown responded to questions by saying Brampton was always his main priority.

“I obviously feel that we haven’t got our fair share,” said Brown on Monday.

“What I could have done for Brampton on a national level is obviously not the same as on a local level.”

A group of five Brampton city councillors released a statement shortly after Brown was forced out of the federal race, claiming he has what they describe as a “clear and alarming pattern of behaviour.

“He didn’t get away with these tactics in his Conservative leadership bid, and he shouldn’t get away with them in Brampton either,” the councillors wrote.

Brown responded to the statement by noting they are a block of councillors critical of him.

Candidates have until August 19 to register for the Brampton municipal election.

With files from The Canadian Press