MANKATO (AP) — Mankato Mayor John Brady apologized for his drunken driving arrest Tuesday but said he does not intend to resign and that he’ll continue running for re-election.

“I am an alcoholic,” Brady told reporters outside his lawyer’s office. He said he’s battled alcoholism for years and relapsed.

Brady said he was remorseful and embarrassed about his Aug. 21 arrest in the Minneapolis suburb of Golden Valley. Police said he had an open bottle of vodka in his car and his blood-alcohol level registered 0.242 percent, triple the legal limit for driving. He was traveling through the Twin Cities area to catch a flight to China on city-related business.

The mayor said turmoil in his personal life drove him to drink heavily. He cited the death of his son last November and a 2007 tragedy in rural Waseca. His stepdaughter is Hilary Kruger, who was severely wounded when a gunman entered her home and killed her husband and son.

Several City Council members said they’re preparing to ask for Brady’s resignation at the next regular council meeting.

“John’s a good guy and an effective mayor,” council member Mark Frost said. “But this is a breach of public trust that cannot be tolerated.”

Brady said he has been struggling with alcohol for 18 years and he plans to seek professional help soon.

“For those of you who know,” he said, “recovery is never over.”

Brady said he can still do his job as mayor as he works through his recovery process. His first court date is scheduled for Oct. 13.

But council member Vance Stuehrenberg said he still plans to author a resolution asking for the mayor’s resignation.

“I came here hoping he would step down,” Stuehrenberg said. “I honestly think the mayor needs to recover, but I don’t think he should be doing it on city time.”