The municipal election is still more than a year away, but the race for mayor is starting to heat up.
Paul Paolatto announced on the Craig Needles show Monday morning he will run for mayor in 2018.
“I very much intend to have my name on the ballot next year for the mayor’s seat in the city of London,” he said.
The announcement comes months after Paolatto resigned as budget chief for the London Police Services Board and said he was considering running for city council.
Paolatto, 55, is new to politics in London, having never previously served on city council or at the provincial or federal level. Paolatto says one of the reason’s he’s announcing his intention to run so early is so that people can get to know him.
“No more photo ops, no more hype, no more garbage slogans, what we’re looking for is substance and authenticity and a real candidate to come forward and say I can make a difference for you,” Paolatto said.
The next municipal election won’t be held until Oct. 22, 2018. Paolatto won’t be able to officially register as a candidate until May 1, 2018, following changes to the Ontario Municipal Act. Previously, a candidate was allowed to register in January but that was changed following complaints municipal elections ran too long.
“I’m very disappointed with the mayor’s performance. I was a supporter of him early on, I drank the Kool-Aid that many Londoners drank and I think he’s been a disappointment,” he said.
Paolatto is not the first person to state their intention to run for mayor in 2018. Mayor Matt Brown has said he plans to run for a second term while Paul Cheng, who came in second to Brown in the 2014 race, told AM980 in May he will run for mayor a second time.
Paolatto, who was born in Chatham, is currently the director of Western Research Parks, CEO for London Medical Network, CEO ADEISS Centre. The married father of two is also the former CEO of two software companies that were sold.
Paolatto took over management of the Stiller Centre, a technology incubator at the research park, in 2012. A year later the centre operated in the black for the first time in its history and this past year returned London’s annual $200,000 contribution as it no longer requires a subsidy.
His last big deal as police services board budget chief was to complete negotiations for a new contract in four days. At the time it was agreed to, London had the lowest four-year police salary increases in Ontario.
Transportation is expected to be a top issue in next year’s election, and Paolatto has been outspoken in his criticism of London’s $500-million bus rapid transit plan. In May, Paolatto told AM980 he would “re-do” rapid transit if he were to be elected to council. Paolatto feels the current bus rapid transit plan is more of a sales pitch and less of an actual business case.
Paolatto has branched beyond transit in recent weeks. He launched a blog where he has talked about the economy and poverty.
Cheng has also been outspoken on rapid transit and has been critical of the current plan.
London city council hasn’t yet secured the $370 million in funding it needs from the provincial and federal governments for the plan. City council has pledged $130 million for BRT.
Next year’s election will be the first in London where ranked ballots are used. Council voted in May to become the first municipality to use ranked ballots to elect city councillors.