A disillusioned Progressive Conservative is abandoning a bid for the Tory nomination in Guelph over concerns with the party’s leadership.

Thomas Mooney took to social media this week to announce his withdrawal from the race to carry the PC banner in next June’s provincial election.

“From what I’ve been seeing during my campaign, I no longer have the faith with the current leadership to continue in good conscience to run as a candidate for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario,” Mooney said in a letter to supporters posted on Twitter.

“There have been very unsettling occurrences across the province in various PCPO riding associations,” he said, referring to spate of controversies in ridings like Newmarket-Aurora, Ottawa West-Nepean, and Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas.

Mooney, a respected trucking-safety expert, said he was initially “skeptical of the validity of those claims,” including allegations of ballot-stuffing now being investigated by Hamilton police.

“But when faced with seeing one riding association after another going as far as going public with complaints of perceived improprieties within the PCPC nomination process, I had to stop and take another look,” he said.

“Lately, there have been a whole lot of warning flags flying across the PCPO landscape.”

In a video posted to Facebook on Tuesday, Mooney said he would be making a decision on whether to run for another conservative party “within the next couple of weeks.

“I hope you can hear the frustration that’s in my voice, because Ontario deserves a lot better,” he said.

Mooney took to LinkedIn in the spring to urge voters to help PC Leader Patrick Brown topple Premier Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals.

“Ontario will be heading to the polls in June 2018. There’s going to be a lot of Wynne dollars flying around to try to schmooze voters. Mark my words, it’s already begun,” he wrote in a piece that maintained Brown “stands for financial responsibility” at Queen’s Park.

“But we all need to remember to where those Wynne dollars come. Not from a bank account. But rather from a very deep and increasing line of credit that Ontario can’t afford. Wynne’s plan is to burden our children with it. Ontario needs a responsible plan.”

Rick Dykstra, the PC Party president, played down Mooney’s departure, emphasizing the Tories are “attracting exceptional individuals to run,” such as Caroline Mulroney in York-Simcoe.

“There is incredible momentum because there’s such a desire for change at Queen’s Park, and we’re seeing this across the province, including in Guelph. We will have an outstanding candidate from the riding,” Dykstra said Wednesday.

Robert Coole, the Guelph PC riding association president, said he was “very shocked” at Mooney’s decision to withdraw.

“He was a very credible candidate. He’s a very conscientious man. He was just worried about things that were going on in different ridings,” said Coole, who, as chair of the local nomination committee, is remaining neutral.

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There are three other potential PC candidates, whose names have not yet been made public.

With files From The Canadian Press

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