In Hamilton political circles, Vito Sgro is a well known Liberal campaign organizer who prefers working behind the scenes instead of in the spotlight.

That may soon change.

Sgro, a partner with CBM chartered accountants, says he's "seriously considering" running for mayor in the October municipal election.

"I want to do it and I think this is pretty close to the right time in my life," he said, adding he'll decide in "weeks not months."

Sgro, 53, is the first potential candidate to publicly consider challenging Mayor Fred Eisenberger's re-election bid. He may not be a household name but he looks solid enough on paper.

Sgro's curriculum vitae includes his present appointment to the Ontario Infrastructure Corporation and past stints as a director of the Hamilton Port Authority and former HECFI board.

His employment record includes some 30 years as a chartered accountant along with a spell at the Hamilton branch of Revenue Canada.

If he takes the plunge, he knows he's got an uphill fight on his hands.

"Let's be frank. Me, or anyone like me, is a long shot. You're sitting with an incumbent mayor who's got name recognition that I don't have. You can ask 100 people and none of them will know who I am."

But after playing insider roles in scads of federal and provincial Liberal election campaigns, what Sgro does have is backroom smarts.

Over the years he's been a volunteer sign guy, campaign manager, treasurer and area organizer. He's worked on campaigns for John Munro, Tony Valeri and Tyler Banham, to name a few. He was the president (now resigned) of the Hamilton East-Stoney Creek Liberal riding association when Bob Bratina was elected MP in 2015, to which Sgro imported techniques he picked up while volunteering for the 2012 Barack Obama presidential juggernaut.

Obviously a political junkie, Sgro has a keen grip on campaign fundraising, assembling a team, and getting out the message. He says his platform would rest on the three pillars of battling poverty, growing the local economy, and reforming governance.

He's big on shaking things up. He wants to develop a cheek-by-jowl working relationship with councillors, revisit the mid-peninsula highway concept, reshape ward boundaries to conform to the five federal ridings, elect at large three councillors per ward, transition to a mayor's executive council or quasi board of control, work closely with the private and not-for-profit sectors to build affordable housing, and take deeper auditing dives into the city's books.

What about the $1 billion LRT question?

As a director of Infrastructure Ontario, which does procurement for Metrolinx, Sgro says it "isn't fair" for him to state his position on that potential wedge issue right now. If he runs, however, he intends to resign his directorship and speak up.

"I will tell you if and when I do run what my positions are on LRT and BRT, but I'm telling you right now my first attention will be to the HSR. Before you start talking LRT or BRT, you've got to fix what you've got."

He's well aware people may look upon him as "Justin's boy" because of his Liberal ties. But he points out he's gone against both federal and provincial party policies on many occasions, including speaking strongly against Ottawa's proposed small business tax. He says his first loyalty is to Hamilton, whose "best years are ahead of it."

The son of Italian immigrants, Sgro grew up in Stoney Creek but has lived in downtown Hamilton for decades. He describes himself as "intense, impatient" with no tolerance for "bulls — t."

"I'm going to tell people what they need to hear not what they want to hear."

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We'll find out in a few weeks if voters get a chance to listen.

Andrew Dreschel's commentary appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. adreschel@thespec.com @AndrewDreschel

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