A 29-year veteran politician who has been one of the strongest advocates for taxpayers on controversies that have roiled Brampton has announced he is stepping aside as a regional councillor at the end of this term.

It is unclear whether John Sprovieri will seek to stay on council as a city representative next year for Wards 9 and 10, but his move makes way for rookie councillor Gurpreet Dhillon who has confirmed he will run in the 2018 municipal election for the seat being vacated by his veteran colleague.

“I am pleased that Gurpreet has decided to take up the challenge at the region,” Sprovieri said.

Sprovieri, who has been on Brampton council since 1988, and who has been a vocal critic of Mayor Linda Jeffrey for much of her first term in office, said he is still undecided on what he plans to do next year.

If he decides to run again, Sprovieri told The Guardian he would seek Dhillon’s current job as a city councillor representing Wards 9 and 10.

In Peel’s two-tier system of government, seven out of 11 members of Brampton council sit at the region.

Sprovieri has locked horns with Jeffrey and her allies on important issues, including the debate on the province’s preferred route for light rail transit, and the city’s handling of a half-billion-dollar city hall expansion and downtown development project. Regionally, Sprovieri has been on the opposite side of the mayor on certain issues, most notably on his push to end water fluoridation in the public drinking supply.

Sprovieri said the status of the fluoridation issue and the ongoing $28.5 million lawsuit over the city hall expansion deal will be important factors in his decision to run as a city councillor.

In contrast, Dhillon has been one of Jeffrey’s most solid supporters, often doing the mayor’s heavy lifting during contentious debates. Much of Jeffrey’s first term has been bogged down by an inability to build consensus on council.

If Dhillon is able to win the regional seat, the mayor could acquire a strong ally on Peel council as she leads the local push on a number of important issues, including increased representation for Brampton at the regional level.