Mayor Larry O'Brien says when his case goes to trial in 14 months, he will step aside as mayor but only temporarily and not before then.

O'Brien's trial is scheduled for April 6, 2009. He is currently facing charges that he attempted to influence the city's 2006 mayoral race.

Police spent eight months investigating claims by Terry Kilrea that O'Brien offered him a position on the National Parole Board to leave the race for mayor.

The investigation was sparked by a complaint from the Ottawa and District Labour Council.

The trial date was agreed on in court Wednesday morning. O'Brien was not in attendance.

The mayor told CTV News although the trial is more than a year away, he's quite confident with how it will turn out.

"I am quite comfortable that the citizens will have a pretty good insight into the realities of what actually did happen," he said.

The trial is expected to last more than two months and some city councillors say they're concerned city business might be put on the backburner.

"I think the longer it gets dragged on, it gets a little bit more difficult," Coun. Marianne Wilkinson told CTV News.

"Certainly once the court case starts it will be very difficult," she said.

Coun. Diane Holmes agrees. She says city council is managing despite the charges laid against the mayor, but predicts the situation will get more difficult as the trial date inches closer.

"I think it creates some degree of difficulty but I think we're all managing," said Holmes. "I guess we'll continue to manage for the next year but I think it would have been better to have the problem removed."

O'Brien, however, maintains his legal woes won't get in the way of his job as mayor.

"Many of these councilors will publicly go out and say this is a cloud and whatever. I think they're doing so for a politically mischievous reason," O'Brien told CTV News.

"I can't blame them for taking advantage of a little political opportunism there but the reality is we're getting work done," he said. "I think we'll continue to get a lot of things done for the next year."