Why I'm doing what I'm doing. By Debbie Amaroso (6 photos)

Twenty-six days before the June 1 provincial byelection, Liberal candidate Debbie Amaroso opened her campaign office Saturday at 109 Queen Street East, former home of Doug Sykes Insurance Inc.

Amaroso used the occasion to explain more fully to supporters why she's re-entering politics after she lost the mayoralty to Christian Provenzano in 2014 and promised that would "be the last you hear of me politically in this city."

The following is a SooToday transcript of the former mayor's explanation at Saturday's campaign office ribbon-cutting:

People have asked me two questions.

I'm going to answer these questions for you today.

Then you can take them forward and hopefully let people in the community that are in your circles know why I'm doing what I'm doing.

I got called while I was on vacation in Florida, by the Liberal Party.

It was actually Marianne Matichuk, former mayor of Sudbury, who called me and asked me to do this.

The very first word out of my mouth was: "no."

And then she asked me again and I went: "hell, no!"

And then I took a deep breath and I sat and thought about how many times I've made rash decisions in my life and have lived to regret them.

And how I really needed to take a step back and think about this.

So as I thought about it, these are the things that came to my mind.

On June 2, the day after the byelection, when we wake up, there will be a Liberal majority government.

This byelection does not change the landscape of the provincial government.

So where does that leave Sault Ste. Marie?

I'm in front of you and I'm in front of the community because I strongly believe that the only way this community has access to opportunity in the next year is if we have a seat at the table.

If we don't have a seat at the table, if there is another representative, they will be behind a closed door, knocking on it, not getting in, shaking their fist, whatever it is.

But there will not be access to opportunity in this city for the next year.

We have a guarantee here, for the next year.

After that, we don't know.

So I'm a bit of an opportunist and looked at that and I thought: "I'm willing to step out of retirement and be that face for the community so that we can be at the table.

We can push for what is needed in this community and we can go forward.

So that's really why I'm here.

We have one year where we have access to opportunity.

It is our only guarantee.

This byelection will not change who our provincial partners are.

So my question is, to everybody, do you want to be able to have someone positioned to have the ear of the government, or somebody who doesn't have the ear of the government?

This isn't about political stripes.

This isn't about anything else but Sault Ste. Marie.

I don't want to and I'm going to do everything I can not to get engaged in the provincial drama.

I'm not going to get caught up in what's happening in the gamesmanship that happens at that level.

My focus is solely here in Sault Ste. Marie and what can we do over the next year.

Local lawyer and Ward 6 councillor Ross Romano is representing the Ontario PC Party in the Sault byelection.

Romano's Ward 6 counterpart Joe Krmpotich is running for the New Democratic Party.

Kevin Clarke, a self-described former crack user and perennial candidate in federal, provincial and mayoral races in Toronto, is listed on the Elections Ontario website as running in the Sault byelection for The People's Political Party.