Toronto Coun. Brad Bradford confirms he'll run for mayor. See who's in the crowded race here

• UPDATE | Toronto city council on Thursday declared the mayor's seat vacant, clearing the way for a June 26 mayoral byelection.

BeachesEast YorkCoun. Brad Bradford confirmed Wednesday he will run to be Toronto's next mayor.

A spokesperson for Bradford's campaign said his focus will be "less talk and more action," with particular emphasis on improving safety on theTTC, making life more affordable and "getting the city moving."

Bradford, anurban planner,was first elected to council in 2018 and quickly became one of former mayor John Tory's key allies at city hall. He has also served as chair of the planing and housing committee since last year.He won re-election in last October's municipal election with nearly 55 per cent of the vote share in his ward.

His announcement comes after weeks of hinting he would put his name on the ballot. In late February, he announced he was exploring a run with an advisory committee that included public affairs specialists with close ties to the provincial Progressive Conservative and Liberal parties.

Sources within the PC and federal Conservative parties told CBC Toronto last month that Bradford was among their preferred candidates to replace Tory as mayor, though former Toronto police chief Mark Saunders has also won Premier Doug Ford's public praise.

Bradford isjoining a crowded field that is only expected to get bigger in the coming days. His current council colleague Josh Matlowis running, as is former city councillor and fellow Tory ally Ana Bailo who, before Bradford, was Tory's point person on the housing file.Coun. Stephen Holydayhas also expressed interest in joining the race, though hasn't made it official.

Saunders confirmed his candidacy last week.Some who ran in the last mayoral election are also set to run again, including Gil Penalosa, Chloe Brown and Blake Acton, while former Toronto Sun columnist Anthony Furey is also pursuing a run.

Ontario Liberal MPP Mitzie Hunter has said she will resign her seat at Queen's Park to join the race, with her official announcement expected this week. Meanwhile, former MPP and mayoral candidate Olivia Chow is also eyeinga run, according to the Toronto Star (CBC Toronto has been chasing confirmation from Chow).

The upcoming June 26mayoral byelection was triggered by Tory's sudden resignation last month,which came after he admitted to an extramarital relationship with a former staffer in his office.

Candidate nominations are set to open onApril 3 at 8:30 a.m. and close May 12 at 2 p.m.