Giorgio Mammoliti to run for Ontario PC nomination in Brampton Centre

Toronto city Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti announced Tuesday he is running to be the Ontario Progressive Conservative candidate in Brampton Centre for the upcoming provincial election.

Mammoliti confirmed his intentions on am640 radio

"I don't like what's happening on [the] provincial level," he said. "It seems that everybody just wants to spend the taxpayer's dollars like no tomorrow."

Mammoliti also said he has a long history supporting the Ford family and Doug Ford — the recently elected leader of the Ontario PC party — had asked him "to be by his side at Queen's Park."

Mammoliti was an ally of Ford as a fellow Toronto city councillor. He also backed Ford's late brother, Rob Ford, who was Toronto mayor from 2010 to 2014.

​"I'm going back to where I bought my first house," Mammoliti said, adding he wants to work for "the people that have been waiting for some change in Brampton."

In a statement issued earlier on Tuesday, the Ward 7 councillor said he had received countless messages of support and encouragement to consider running for mayor of Toronto, return to Queen's Park, or even a move to Parliament Hill.

Mammoliti was first elected to the Ontario Legislature in 1990 as the NDP MPP for Yorkview.

During his time at Queen's Park, Mammoliti served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Solicitor General and Minister of Correctional Services; Minister of Health; and the Minister Responsible for the Provincial Anti-drug Strategy.

Mammoliti then moved to municipal politics. He was elected as a councillor for the newly amalgamated City of Toronto in 1997.