Former Ottawa mayoral candidate Terry Kilrea dropped a third bombshell Friday when he announced he will run as a city councillor in Ottawa's Bay Ward.

That ward is already occupied by veteran councillor Alex Cullen, a strong candidate who observers said would be tough to beat.

Terry Kilrea was runner-up for mayor in 2003.

In making the pick, Kilrea, a court enforcement officer who was runner-up for mayor in the 2003 municipal elections, passed over two new wards that have no incumbents.

It was the third bombshell that Kilrea has dropped at Ottawa City Hall this week.

He shocked voters Wednesday when he announced he was dropping out of the mayoral race because he couldn't afford to run "a champagne campaign on a beer budget."

He dropped a second bombshell that day when he threw his support behind incumbent Bob Chiarelli, a man with distinctly different political views from Kilrea's small-c conservatism.

And he announced he intended to run as a councillor, instead of mayor.

Kilrea told CBC News Thursday that he would either challenge veteran councillor Cullen in Bay Ward or take his campaign to Gloucester-South Nepean, a new ward where there is no incumbent.

Carleton University professor Katherine Graham told CBC News she would be very surprised to see Kilrea take on Cullen, a veteran with 20 years of experience.

"It would be an interesting race," said Graham, who is dean of Carleton University's faculty of public affairs. "I just don't see why he would want to do it when there are new wards that have no incumbents, where he would have a clear playing field."

But Kilrea, who wants to focus on core city services, raise the police budget, cut crime and lower taxes, says there is a high crime rate in Bay Ward and that Cullen is not addressing the problem.

Kilrea said he has already put together a team to tackle Cullen.

John Blatherwick, the second-place finisher in the ward in 2003, has joined the Kilrea group, and three councillors, Rick Chiarelli, Jan Harder and Doug Thompson, have offered him their endorsements.

But Kilrea shouldn't expect any help from Cullen. The incumbent issued a statement Friday calling Kilrea "unelectable," adding that Kilrea doesn't represent the values of the ward residents.