

Chris Fox, CP24.com





Coun. Giorgio Mammoliti says he is trying to convince Doug Ford to enter the mayoral race in the event that his brother isn’t able to stand for re-election.

Mammoliti, who has openly discussed entering the race himself, made the comment to CP24 on Tuesday afternoon as council held its first meeting since Mayor Ford took a leave of absence to seek help for substance abuse issues.

“I think Doug is seriously thinking about it and I hope he does,” Mammoliti said. “If his brother doesn’t come back, a candidate needs to enter the race who talks about keeping what we have going with respect to savings. The rest of the candidates are not talking about keeping the agenda going, they are only talking about spending money.”

Doug Ford was seen sitting in his brother’s seat during Tuesday’s meeting and at one point Mammoliti even obscured the mayor’s name plate with a piece of paper that read “Doug.”

Though Ford has only temporarily suspended his campaign at this point, Mammoliti said he is trying to “talk some sense” into Doug Ford and get him thinking about a mayoral run should his younger brother decide he needs more time away to clean himself up.

Meanwhile, Doug Ford is refusing to answer questions on whether he would enter the race, saying “no comment” in response to several questions concerning his intentions on Tuesday afternoon.

When asked by CP24 whether “no comment” meant that he isn’t ruling out the idea, Ford again refused comment.

A councillor for Ward 2 Etobicoke North, Doug Ford has previously said that he will not run for re-election in October.

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