Garry Robbins was working as a nightclub bouncer a quarter-century ago when all 7-foot-5 and 380 pounds of him was recruited for a role in the Canadian slasher flick Humongous, where his character stalked a group of teens shipwrecked on an island. Now, after years on the professional wrestling circuit, parts in every comedy show that required the services of an overly large gentleman, and a starring role as a disfigured cannibalistic mountain man "Saw-Tooth" (pictured) terrorizing pin-up girls in 2003’s B-movie Wrong Turn, the 49-year-old is ready to be mayor of St. Catharines. The job has belonged to Tim Rigby since 1997, a senior politician who wants to move into a seat on Niagara Regional Council. That’s left the field open for new candidates including former curling champion Marilyn Bodogh, noted photographer Preston Haskell, and five others. Robbins has a resume quite unlike anyone running in this civic election, though, even if his campaign brochure emphasizes his volunteer work over his stunt work. Formerly known in the wrestling ring as "The Paul Bunyan of the North", Robbins is confident enough of a victory on Nov. 13 that he's already rebranded himself as "The People's Mayor".

Where did you get the idea to run? I was approached, because other people knew I had ideas of how to make this city work. The tax system has been making people crazy, with all sorts of secret deals going on, and priorities have gotten all mixed up. I opened my campaign office in the worst part of town, and just by being here the prostitutes, crack addicts and drug dealers disappeared. All I need to do is walk the streets, and my presence is enough to clean things up. Not because I’m big, but because I’m not afraid to get them all arrested.

Who do you blame for this sorry state of affairs? The mayor kept passing the buck on everything and, as a result, this town went from being known as The Garden City, to becoming a ghost town. I want to make things blossom. What a beautiful city we had, and now people hardly talk to one another, they walk in the other direction. We’ve lost our pride and dignity, and I’m here to bring it back, to the era when we had Joe McCaffrey in charge. I’ll be following in his footsteps, as "The People’s Mayor" -- my advisors will include everyone.

What is it with you big tough guys running for public office? The wrestling circuit teaches you how to be a fighter, a performer, and a businessman, all rolled into one. Arnold Schwarzenegger, he’s a perfect example of an honest man -- I ran into him while he was filming Terminator 3 while I was making Wrong Turn, and he told me the things he was going to do, then he went ahead and did them. I followed the news about Jesse "The Body" Ventura when he was governor of Minnesota, he knew how to market things, including himself. Terry, on the other hand, has chosen a different path for his talents. But I want to do this job for the people St. Catharines, because this is my home. I’m not thinking of the fun I could be having in Hollywood instead of here.

How do you expect to transform the image of St. Catharines? We might have cheaper homes here, but we’ve ended up with bigger taxes, and that's a problem. The other candidates don’t have a vision or, if they claim to, it’s one that they stole from me. There’s a need for a new hospital -- we could have a lottery, and get all of Canada to help pay for it, I’ve even offered to put up the first $50,000 out of my own pocket. We need more police walking the streets, there’s a shortage of doctors, not enough business development. I want to get a waste incineration and power facility up and running to make money, build affordable housing, and establish programs for youth.

Does that mean you won't be mauling people in horror movies anymore if you're elected? I recently did a commercial for Kellogg’s Froot Loops, but otherwise I’m going full tilt on this mayor’s thing. I’ve got 2,700 election signs out there already, and a few kids have been stealing them, because they want an autograph. It’s a gift I was given to make these other characters come to life, in wrestling or in the movies and television, but now the time has come for me to give back to the city to the greatest extent that I can. People are sick of the word "politician" now -- before this, I don't think I could even spell the word "politician".