THUNDER BAY — Nearly 20 years since he last held the post, veteran politician Ken Boshcoff is seeking the mayor's chair in Thunder Bay's municipal election.
Boshcoff made the announcement in a brief statement Monday morning, saying he loves the city "and has the strength and energy to lead through experience."
He served as mayor for two terms between 1997 and 2003 before jumping to federal politics and serving as MP for Thunder Bay-Rainy River for two terms.
Boshcoff said he'd been approached by numerous people about running again since incumbent Bill Mauro decided not to seek re-election.
He said he believes Thunder Bay is on the right track, and that with his leadership and experience the city can "build on a lot of the things that have been identified as our issues."
Asked about the city's role in solving social problems related to drug addiction and poverty, Boshcoff said the city can be "the unifier" in working with dozens of organizations that work on these issues.
"I would take my role as mayor and say 'let's reorganize and do a focused approach, and get to solving this,' because other communities have been successful using that method," he said.
Boshcoff becomes the fifth entrant in the race for mayor.
The others are Peng You, Gary Mack, Robert Szczepanski, and Clinton Harris.
