Morgan and Krose register as mayoral candidates, competing visions emerge

Three people have filed nomination papers to be London’s mayor, including incumbent Josh Morgan and businesswoman Kirsten Krose.

The first day of nominations at London City Hall also kicked off a race for the mayor’s office.

Incumbent Josh Morgan and Kirsten Krose both filed their paperwork with the elections office, the first two mayoral candidates to do so.

“I expressed my intent that I was going to file again, so there’s no better day to do it than on the first day,” Morgan told CTV News.

Morgan has been the mayor of London since 2022, and prior to that served as deputy mayor, budget chair and a two-term city councillor.

He is quick to highlight his record on public safety over the past three-and-a-half years.

“What we’ve seen through that investment is we’ve seen more [police] officers on the street,” Morgan said. “We’ve seen crime rates come down. We used to be the highest [city for] crime severity index in the country, and now we’re below the national average.”

And regarding homelessness he says, “We’ve seen 1,500 people exit the streets, often from encampments, or doorways, or parks, and find stable, secure housing.”

Earlier in the morning, Kirsten Krose filed her nomination papers in hopes of unseating Morgan.

“There’s some things in this city that could use some improvement,” Krose said about her decision to run for mayor. “I’m born and raised in London, and I left the city to go to school and start my career. When I came back, it wasn’t the same city.”

Krose emphasizes why she believes change is needed in the mayor’s office.

“The level of services for what we’re paying, is just not where I think the value should be. And we don’t have a clear vision. We need strong leadership and a clear vision,” she said.

Morgan responded to Krose’s comment about leadership.

“Not surprised. Anybody who wants to run against me is going to criticize leadership. That’s usually what the opposition does in these sorts of circumstances. But what I can tell you is we have a record. That record is very clear. Someone can’t stand here and tell you the city is less safe than it was four years ago because all the statistics show that our investments are working. Someone can’t tell you we have less affordable housing or supportive housing than four years ago,” he said.

Also registering to run for mayor on the first day of nominations is John Feher.

The nomination period for candidates to register for the municipal election ends Aug. 21.

Londoners go to the polls on Oct. 26.