TORONTO

Just a month after he lost his bid to be an MP, Joe Cressy is now running for city council.

Cressy - who was the federal NDP candidate in last month's Trinity-Spadina byelection - made it clear Wednesday he wants to be a left-leaning member of council for Trinity-Spadina (Ward 20).

"I'm running because I think it is time to build a progressive city again," Cressy said. "That means a city that takes on the critical issues of transit, of affordable housing and the environment.

"Toronto is a great city and it is time for us to lead again on the big issues."

The 30-year-old becomes the 25th person to register to run for the Ward 20 council seat held by former Councillor Adam Vaughan until he won the Trinity-Spadina federal byelection for the Liberals.

"I'm all in for city council, I will not be running in a federal election in a year, rather I'm running to spend all my time building our community," Cressy said.

Before registering to run for council on Wednesday morning, Cressy resigned his job as senior advisor at the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

During his failed federal run, Cressy said residents kept telling him they wanted him at City Hall.

"People would say to me, 'Joe this is great, Adam Vaughan is going to be our MP and you can be our councillor,'" Cressy said.

He denied his council run was a "back-up plan" to his federal run.

"I believe that politics is and should be a noble profession," he said.

Cressy - who encouraged Olivia Chow to run for mayor - says he is still supporting her.

"I think our city could use progressive leadership and I think in many ways Olivia represents the new Toronto and so I hope she wins," he said. "But frankly I just want to make sure that Rob Ford isn't there."

Asked if he could work with Ford if he is re-elected mayor, Cressy shrugged.

"You work with anybody, always do," he said.

"At city level you work with people of all stripes."