In his latest bid to regain a position in city government, former Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong has announced that he is now running for a city council seat in November.

A spokesperson for Armstrong, Sam Singer, said the former chief is would be officially filing for his candidacy at the Oakland City Clerk's office Wednesday morning. He will be running for the at-large city council seat that is currently held by longtime councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

Kaplan, 53, has served on the council since 2008. When she was elected, she was the youngest person ever elected and the first openly LGBTQ person to serve on the city council.

"Armstrong brings unmatched knowledge and experience to this Council race," Singer said in a statement. "He successfully managed the largest city department and is the only candidate with the understanding of how to efficiently prioritize precious city resources without sacrificing public safety."

A press release adds, "As the City of Oakland struggles with increasing crime and a looming budget deficit, Armstrong has stepped up to continue to serve the residents and businesses he knows and loves."

Armstrong, an Oakland native, served as a police officer for over 20 years before being promoted to the chief role following the ouster of former chief Anne Kirkpatrick in early 2020. A clear favorite of the Oakland Police Commission, who at least twice last year tried to reinstate him in the job, Armstrong was fired in early 2023 due to his role in an internal affairs scandal — though an independent arbitrator later cleared him of wrongdoing.

Armstrong's successor, Floyd Mitchell, who previously served as chief of police in Lubbock, Texas, officially started work two weeks ago, after the city went over a year without a permanent chief of police.

Eight other candidates are running for the at-large council seat that is being vacated by Kaplan, including Tonya Love, who is currently chief of staff for Councilmember Carroll Fife. As KTVU notes, Kaplan has not publicly stated whether she intends to run again for the seat.

Kaplan unsuccessfully ran for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in 2022, and she is not running again for city council. She also previously ran for mayor of Oakland in 2014.

Armstrong has a pending lawsuit against the city alleging he was wrongfully terminated.