KARREN Brady's bid to become mayor of Birmingham has been welcomed by the minister responsible for local government today.
But Phil Woolas also warned that candidates from outside politics might underestimate the challenge of running a major city such as Birmingham.
Mr Woolas is backing the Birmingham Mail's petition calling for a referendum on whether Birmingham should be run by a directly elected mayor.
The Mail exclusively revealed last week that the Birmingham City managing director intends to stand for election to run Brum, if the petition and referendum succeed.
There is speculation that she could gain the support of the Conservatives, after it was revealed she had held discussions with Tory leader David Cameron.
Mr Woolas was asked what he made of Ms Brady's announcement, and said: "If it generates interest in local politics, it is a very good thing. If it grabs attention, that would be good.
"But one of the things I have observed about modern politics is that non-politicians are very keen to get involved until they are subject to the same accountability we are.
"And they very quickly withdraw, because it's easy to criticise but it's more difficult to decide. I think that running a city the size of Birmingham with a budget of a billion pounds is a huge task."
The referendum needs a total of 36,249 signatures before the council will allow the people to decide on elected mayors.
