Carolyn Parrish has been chosen as the next mayor of Mississauga on Monday night.
Former Ward 5 Councillor Parrish will serve the remainder of the 2022-2026 term as the fifth mayor of the sixth largest city in Canada, as per a press release by the City of Mississauga.
Parrish entered the mayoral race after vacating her Ward 5 seat when former mayor Bonnie Crombie resigned on Jan. 12 to assume leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.
READ MORE : https://nowtoronto.com/news/bonnie-crombie-to-take-a-leave-of-absence-as-mississauga-mayor/
Shortly after her win, Parrish expressed her gratitude in a tweet, “Thank You, Mississauga! I am incredibly honoured and humbled to be chosen as your Mayor-elect. Your support and trust mean the world to me. Together, we’ll continue to build a stronger & more vibrant Mississauga for all.”
Unofficial election results indicate that over 138,500 Mississauga residents voted, resulting in a voter turnout of 25.71 percent.
Parrish received 43,494 votes, surpassing her nearest rival, Ward 2 Councillor Alvin Tedjo, who garnered 35,005 votes, according to the city’s unofficial voter turnout.
In a video posted with her tweet, Parrish assured constituents that she will be “there for everybody whether they voted for me or didn’t.”
Joining the long list of congratulations, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow congratulated Parrish on the feat in a tweet Monday evening, and said, “I look forward to working with you on the issues that affect our region.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also tweeted, “Congratulations @carolynhparrish on being elected the next mayor of @citymississauga! I’m looking forward to working with you as we build a stronger Mississauga and a stronger Ontario.”
Crombie also congratulated Parrish and her Ward 5 successor, Natalie Hart, in a tweet.
With this win, Parrish will become the third consecutive woman to serve as mayor of Mississauga since 1978, when Hazel McCallion was first elected and served until 2014, when she was succeeded by Bonnie Crombie.
Mississauga’s next mayor now has issues including auto theft, public transit, affordable housing among a growing population, and public safety to tackle.
Speaking to Now Toronto on Monday, acting Mayor Martin Reid said, I’m looking for our next mayor, someone who’s going to look holistically at how we improve the city…it’s going to start by us working upstream, and moving forward,” he added.
