London Mayor Joe Fontana intends to keep his seat at the head of city council, despite reports to the contrary.

He tells CTV News he and his wife are the only reliable sources to ask about his political future.

"Had we been asked, I would have said, 'Yes, I am running.' And she would have said, 'Yes, he's running.' So I don't know who these other people are, but I'm telling you that the only reliable source is me," says Fontana.

Fontana has spent more than 30 years in politics as a city councillor, federal cabinet minister and most recently mayor.

But he may face a rocky campaign trail this time around.

Friday's announcement by the mayor comes as a surprise to many who expected him to await the result of his criminal trial before making a firm decision.

In May, Fontana will go to trail on three criminal charges in relations to a federal cheque and the deposit for his son's 2005 wedding reception.

Fontana's statement brings the number of Londoners running in the mayoral election to six, including Councillor Matt Brown.

"This is about a new direction for London. I'm sure if the mayor enters the race, he'll run on his record and I'll run on that new vision for London," says Brown.

Mayoral challenger Arnon Kaplansky wasn't surprised by the announcement, saying it won't change his campaign.

"i think that after 30 or 40 years in politics he should let some new blood in," says Kaplansky.

In addition to Fontana, Brown and Kaplansky - Jim Kogelheide, Dan Lenart and Dennis Perry are also registered to run.

Londoners go to the polls on October 27th.

Meanwhile, one thing all mayoral candidates will have to address is the ballooning London police budget.

Approval of the police budget stalled again at city hall on Friday, with some councillors accusing the chief of stonewalling their pursuit of more information.

Police are seeking a 4.4 per cent budget increase, $3.9 million more than 2013.

London police Chief Brad Duncan warns that any less will force them to dip further into reserves.

“I’ve never, never looked at an opportunity to make it more personal. Today I felt that it had gotten a little more personal and it’s my obligation, not only for me, but for the board that works very, very hard on behalf of the city and for the men and women who serve the city."

But council remains divided and councillors instructed the chief to provide more detailed information about the impact that a smaller increase would have on service.

The budget will be finalized at the end of this month.