Carolyn Parrish wins Mississauga election to be next mayor

Longtime councillor and MP Carolyn Parrish gained Mississauga’s mayoral race Monday night time, beating out a crowded subject of contenders for the highest job.

With 100 per cent of polls reporting, Parrish was greater than 8,500 votes forward of her closest competitor, first-term councillor Alvin Tedjo.

She garnered 43,494 votes in comparison with 35,005 for Tedjo. Dipika Damerla got here in with 27,119 whereas Stephen Dasko bought 22,408. David Shaw got here in with 2,843, whereas Brian Crombie garnered 2,242.

In response to unofficial outcomes, 138,500 voters solid a poll within the byelection, the town mentioned in a information launch, yielding a voter turnout of 25.71 per cent.

With the win, Parrish will develop into simply Mississauga’s third mayor since 1978. There have solely been 5 mayor’s in Mississauga’s complete post-amalgamation historical past.

‘Allure and power’

“Immediately we rejoice not only a victory on the polls however a victory for the longer term for our metropolis. I’m honoured and grateful to face earlier than you as your newly elected mayor of Mississauga,” Parrish instructed a cheering crowd on the Mississauga Conference Centre.

“At the start, I need to thank the residents of Mississauga for putting their belief in me. Your voices have been heard and collectively we’ll construct a brighter, extra inclusive future for our metropolis,” Parrish mentioned.

She vowed to have better citizen participation within the funds course of and to prioritize “sustainable growth.”

Whereas she began off with a scripted speech, she tossed it part-way by means of, opting to talk off the cuff.

“I simply need to inform you a vital factor. The area goes to be stronger now as a result of you are going to have three mayors that really get alongside and we can be formidable once we go to Queen’s Park or to Ottawa to inform them we want our fair proportion of funding right here,” she mentioned.

She promised a mixture of “allure and power” in making her case for the town.

Talking with reporters, Parrish mentioned one in every of her first orders of enterprise can be to assemble a panel of builders to be her advisers on find out how to construct extra housing sooner.

She additionally mentioned she thinks she can have no bother bringing collectively a council the place a number of sitting councillors have been working towards her.

“I am certain that is going to fall into place very shortly. No one needs to be the lone wolf. And I for certain would love all the assistance I can get so I can be pulling everyone collectively,” she mentioned.

Parrish’s win got here after among the remaining surveys within the race indicated she might face stiffer competitors than anticipated.

Whereas she opened with a large lead within the polls early within the race, her almost 20-point benefit in early Could had all however evaporated by the final week of the race.

There have been 20 candidates on the poll, with a handful working elections aggressive sufficient to register within the polls. Most of them have been present or former metropolis councillors. They included Dipika Damerla, Alvin Tedjo and Stephen Dasko. Brian Crombie, the ex-husband of the previous mayor, was additionally within the working.

Her rivals have been fast to supply congratulations after the outcomes rolled in.

Alvin Tedjo speaks to supporters after putting second within the Mississauga mayoral race Monday June 10, 2024.

“I simply messaged our former councillor Carolyn Parish to congratulate her on her win tonight,” Tedjo instructed his marketing campaign in a concession speech shortly after 9 p.m. “I want her properly in her new position as mayor of Mississauga.”

Premier Doug Ford congratulated Parrish in a publish on X Monday night time and mentioned he appears ahead to working together with her.

“Congratulations @carolynhparrish on being elected the subsequent mayor of @citymississauga! I’m wanting ahead to working with you as we construct a stronger Mississauga and a stronger Ontario,” Ford wrote.

Bonnie Crombie congratulates Carolyn Parrish on her victory after successful the Mississauga mayoral race Monday June 10, 2024.

Former mayor Bonnie Crombie made an impromptu look as Parrish was wrapping a information convention and likewise congratulated her, telling reporters she’s “ecstatic” that Parrish gained.

“You’ll be a formidable mayor, and I do know you may be a really sturdy voice and a really sturdy chief for Mississauga,” Crombie mentioned.

Lengthy profession in politics

Parrish, 77, was first elected as a faculty board trustee within the Eighties earlier than turning into concerned in federal politics within the 90’s. She was elected to the Home of Commons for the primary time in 1993 as a Liberal MP. She remained in parliament till 2006. She gained a seat on Mississauga council in a municipal election the identical 12 months. Whereas she misplaced her seat in 2010, she was again in 2014 when she was elected to signify Ward 5.

She stepped down from council earlier this 12 months to be able to deal with her run for mayor.

Through the marketing campaign, Parrish mentioned housing was the highest difficulty going through Mississauga residents, with many younger folks transferring away as a result of they will not afford to reside within the metropolis.

“Many of the GTA cities are rising, and it is often younger folks. They develop up in Mississauga. They need to reside in Mississauga, and so they cannot afford the hire, and so they cannot afford to purchase a home,” she instructed CP24 in an interview.

She mentioned whereas mild infill is a part of the answer, the town wants extra aggressive density and must make it simpler for builders to get tasks permitted.

Whereas she’s rejected the thought of a tax freeze, Parrish has mentioned she’d prefer to maintain property taxes at or beneath the speed of inflation. She’s proposed quarterly moderately than annual funds conferences to be able to maintain the town’s funds on-track.

Marketing campaign noticed some snags

Parrish managed to come back out forward regardless of sharp criticism by her rivals for feedback she made in an early debate about federal refugee packages and transgender loos. She claimed her feedback had been taken out of context.

She subsequently declined to take part in additional debates, citing “a brand new fashion of politics” and the security of her employees.

However she instructed CP24 that she wasn’t hiding from accountability.

“I have been accountable for 18 years on metropolis council. I am outspoken. I converse on each difficulty. Individuals who observe politics know precisely the place I stand on every little thing,” she mentioned.

She additionally mentioned she’s been bodily threatened previously over “controversial points.”

The particular byelection was known as after former mayor Bonnie Crombie stepped down from the publish to guide the Ontario Liberal Get together.  Crombie held the highest job at Metropolis Corridor for greater than 9 years. She adopted legendary Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion, who held the position for 36 years earlier than that.

Requested by CP24 in a latest interview why she needs a busy job as mayor towards the top of a greater than three-decade lengthy profession in politics, Parrish mentioned serving on council has been her favorite job.

“Nicely, it’s a massive job. And I’ve actually loved Council,” she mentioned. “I’ve loved being a metropolis councillor far more than any of the opposite jobs I’ve executed. It is a fabulous job. You have no partisanship. You simply hearken to your constituents.”

CTV Political Analyst Scott Reid known as it a “unusual” election that comes with a message for a mayor-elect who was anticipated to win by a wider margin.

“Alvin Tedjo got here out of nowhere, with what? A marketing campaign to freeze taxes,” Reid mentioned.

Whereas many individuals really feel that is an untenable coverage for the town, Reid mentioned, it says one thing about how individuals are feeling.

“It provides you a sign of the place voters are at, the anxieties about affordability, the calls for they’re putting on metropolis council and what they’re in search of from their political leaders,” he mentioned.

“Carolyn Parrish goes to have to concentrate to that vote end result as a result of I feel that is what that was about. She will be able to’t be deaf to the pocketbook anxieties of voters in Mississauga.”

Natalie Hart, the final supervisor of the Malton BIA, gained one other byelection race within the metropolis Monday night time to exchange the seat vacated by Parrish. Whereas former mayor Bonnie Crombie did not help a candidate within the mayoral race, she did endorse Hart, who got here in 714 votes forward of her nearest competitor, Danny Singh. 

Parrish will maintain the highest job on council by means of the remainder of the present time period, which ends in 2026.

Town mentioned extra info can be launched within the coming days about when Parrish will take the Oath of workplace.

Unofficial outcomes could be discovered on the town’s web site.