Kamloops has at least two people now running for the mayor’s chair this fall.

Former city councilor Ray Dhaliwal has officially added his name to the list of those hoping to replace Ken Christian in October’s municipal election.

“I’ve stepped back into politics because I do not like what I see in city hall. There’s no accountability, no fiscal responsibility, no transparency,” Dhaliwal told the NL Noon Report on Monday. “I’d like to bring the power of the people back to city hall, because that has been lost in the last few years.”

The 65-year old Dhaliwal served briefly on Kamloops city council from 2017 to 2018 after winning a seat in a by-election. The small business owner says his main priority will be tackling spending.

“The foundation of the city has crumbled, and we need to get back to basics. Get the spending under control, get the tax payers comfortable with what we’re spending our money on,” said Dhaliwal.

Dhaliwal is also planning on taking on the campaign as the mayoral candidate for a municipal political party he has applied to create with Elections BC, dubbed Action 2022 Kamloops.

He suggests this is an homage to Phil Gaglardi’s campaign launched for the 1988 municipal election, Action 88 Kamloops.

“We’ve sort of based loosely on that premise that in order to make real change in this community, we have to have a strong team,” said Dhaliwal. “I know if I become mayor, without putting a strong team together, I will be an island out there.”

Dhaliwal joins Arjun Singh as the only two confirmed candidates for mayor at this point.