It's official.
Ward 3 city councillor Rino Bortolin will represent the Ontario Liberals in Windsor-West for June's provincial election.
He was acclaimed Tuesday night at the riding association's nomination meeting.
Bortolin says he's glad to see and hear non-Liberal supporters are behind him.
"For me the key has always been when you look at party politics, people like to describe the party almost as a separate being," says Bortolin. "The people make the party so if they like me that's what I'm going up to Toronto to represent Windsor and more people like me in the Liberal party, change the Liberal party."
Bortolin says he's looking forward to running against the incumbent, Lisa Gretzky.
"She's a neighbour," says Bortolin. "She lives on my block so there's personal respect for her for sure. I mean there's no animosity or anything like that. We can be respectful and keep this as a political issue."
He says he'll begin to canvass on Monday.
Bortolin says his campaign will deal with health care and and bringing health care dollars to the area, diversifying the economy and advancing issues like a $15 an hour minimum wage, free tuition and NAFTA re-negotiations.
He says he will continue to sit on Windsor city council but will forfeit his pay during the writ period.