TORONTO - The national director of the federal Liberal party has put his name on the ballot for the Toronto mayoralty race in October 2010.

Rocco Rossi has already resigned as the party's top administrator and fundraiser, effective Dec. 31.

In announcing his candidacy Monday outside Toronto City Hall, Rossi spoke in Spanish, French, Italian and English to declare: "I'm big, I'm bald and I've got bold ideas for the city."

Recalling his Italian-Canadian roots, Rossi said, "This city is phenomenal. It's given everything to my family. It's given us a lifetime of progressively better tomorrows, and that's what I want for every inhabitant of Toronto, whether they've been here for 100 years or 100 days."

Rossi used the launch of his campaign to announce he would sell off some city assets, including Toronto Hydro, to raise money.

"I don't always want to have to go hat in hand to the province and the feds and quite frankly ... don't count on a whole lot of money coming from them."

The former businessman, aide to federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff and head of the Heart and Stroke Foundation also pledged to cut his mayoral salary by 10 per cent and then freeze it for his four-year term of office should he win.

He encouraged city councillors to roll back the more than two per cent wage increase they received earlier this year, saying politicians need to show "moral authority" before negotiating with municipal staff next time around.

"We have to lead by example" he said.

The councillors' wage increase to almost $100,000 a year was an awkward issue during difficult negotiations with city staff throughout a prolonged municipal strike in Toronto over the summer. The strike saw garbage collection and other services shut down for weeks.

Rossi joins former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister George Smitherman and Toronto city councillor Giorgio Mammoliti in the race for Toronto's top job.

Both Rossi and Smitherman are prominent Liberals. Smitherman resigned from Premier Dalton McGuinty's cabinet to run for the city's top job.

Rossi managed the campaign for former Ontario Progressive Conservative leader John Tory during his failed run for the mayoralty in 2003.

This time Rossi is expected to be opposite him on the ballot.

Tory's supporters say he will register his candidacy for mayor in January in order to get his campaign rolling.

Rossi said that as mayor, he would reach out to the suburbs, the business community, the ethno-cultural community, entrepreneurs and youth.

"City building is way too difficult a task to not get the benefit of all of those people working together -- we need all hands on deck," he said.

While Toronto municipal politics is officially party-free, there are definite ideological blocs of councillors that often vote together.

But some observers are not worried Smitherman and Rossi will split the small "l" liberal vote in the city because Rossi is not well enough known by the public.

Despite his Liberal roots, Rossi attempted to attract voters from across the political spectrum.

"I believe in a partnership of the right and the left. I believe in partnership of government and the private sector."

"I have shown an ability to build consensus with a wide variety of stakeholders and I will continue to use those abilities if I'm given the honour of becoming the mayor of Toronto," he said.

Rossi described himself as "fiscally conservative ... and socially very liberal."

"Call me a blue Liberal or a red Tory, but call me effective," he said.