CREDIT: MATTHEWBROWN.CA
Ward 7 Councillor Matt Brown is taking on incumbent Mayor Joe Fontana in October.

London's city council may have a reputation for petty squabbling, but as the fall election dawns on the horizon, be prepared for all hell to break loose.

With a few councillors already planning to step down, there will be new blood on a city council that replaced just six of 14 councillors in the last two elections. With all of the drama already beginning to unfold and hopefuls coming out of the woodwork, it will be more of a marathon than a sprint to Election Day on October 27.

While the councillor races will be hotly contested, all eyes are on incumbent Mayor Joe Fontana to see if his purported misdeeds of days past will affect his re-election bid. Though the Mayor has yet to officially register, he has made it clear that he intends to seek a second term in office. Fontana brings with him a wealth of experience in multiple levels of government, serving as a city councillor for London and a Member of Parliament for London — Middlesex. His open-for-business approach to job creation has had mixed results, and produced a highly debated shopping district proposal just north of the 401 on Wellington Road. His 25 years in politics will be put to the test as he faces stern opposition and an impending trial for allegedly misusing government funds.

With the application period just beginning, there isn't as wide a field for the top job. Aside from real-estate developer Arnon Kaplansky, who appears to be running on a whim, the pickings are slim aside from one candidate who has been quietly making moves since he was elected to city council in 2010. Ward 7 Councillor Matt Brown has announced that he'll be running for mayor in the upcoming municipal election in October, and at first glance he looks to be a strong contender. The former high-school teacher was elected to city council in 2010 and serves on a number of committees in addition to his role as councillor in the city's northwest. Councillor Brown has yet to unveil his campaign platform and it's unlikely that he will until after the 2014 draft budget has been approved in mid-February.

In the absence of campaign promises, one need only take a step back to see what Councillor Brown has supported in the past to guess what his platform will entail. Over his three years in office he has been a moderate voice at city council, critical of spending increases, and active on several influential committees. In a moment of potential foreshadowing, Brown was asked if he would step in for the mayor should he be forced to take a leave of absence at the onset of the RCMP's investigation.

An unpredictable element in the mayoral race will be the effect of the media, specifically the London Free Press, in how they portray the candidates. Mayor Fontana publicly complained that he spent more time debating with reporters than with his opponent after his failed 2006 mayoral bid. That history, combined with their favourable reporting on Councillor Brown in the past, could play a role in determining the outcome of the election.
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