List grows to 11 candidates seeking to become Mississauga's next mayor

It’s been a week since candidate registrations opened for the by-election to become Mississauga’s next mayor, and while a number of candidates entered the race fresh out the gate on the first day, some new names have trickled in.

The race to replace former Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie—and become only the third mayor in over 40 years in the city— officially began March 6 after councillors approved a bylaw triggering the process for a by-election to fill the seat. The vote to elect a new mayor in Mississauga will take place June 10th.

Many issues must be top of mind for candidates looking to take over council’s top seat, including housing, affordability, preparing for an influx in growth and some of the city’s major projects in the pipeline including the Hurontario LRT, Mississauga’s multi-million-dollar hospital expansion and a Ministerial Zoning Order for the long-awaited Lakeview development, among others.  

As residents consider who will be their next leader, housing and affordability will be two of the key issues during the campaign, according to priorities mentioned by several of the candidates. 

Voter turnout will also be a determining factor in the upcoming by-election as previous reporting from The Pointer suggested engagement is declining. Voter turnout for the 2022 municipal election was abysmal and council chambers often resemble a ghost town. According to the City of Mississauga’s official results for the 2022 municipal election, of the 491,260 registered voters across the city, only 107,310 ballots were cast, just 21.8 percent. It marked the lowest turnout since the 2003 election, when only 19.99 percent of eligible voters bothered to participate. The latest election saw a decline from 2018, when only 26.4 percent of voters cast a ballot. 

Several candidates have now registered and officially begun their campaigns. Current City councillors Stephen Dasko, Alvin Tedjo, Carolyn Parrish and Dipika Damerla. All four publicly indicated their intentions to run over the last several months ever since Crombie initiated her departure after winning the Ontario Liberal leadership. Each of the four appeared at City Hall to file their nomination papers within the first two days of the campaign. 

The four councillors vying for mayor include Stephen Dasko, Alvin Tedjo, Carolyn Parrish and Dipika Damerla.

(Alexis Wright/The Pointer)

Other known names in the community have also been popping up over the last week. Here are some of the latest candidates entering the ring to vie for the mayor’s position: 

Amir Ali previously ran in the 2022 municipal election for Ward 7. Ali’s primary focus has been on community engagement and saving tax dollars for residents. As the owner of a real estate brokerage, his website prioritizes freezing taxes and focusing on affordability, adding that “increased property taxes hurt everyone.”

Frank Fang is also among the candidates vying for the mayor’s seat. He ran in the 2022 municipal election for the Ward 9 councillor position, campaigning on improving road safety, increasing services for children and seniors, making rent and housing more affordable, and promoting more community consultation for decision making across the Ward. In 2022 he came fourth in the battle for the Ward 9 seat, garnering roughly 9.6 percent of the vote. According to an inactive X/Twitter account, he also ran as a Conservative Party candidate in the 2019 election for the Spadina-Fort York riding.

Syed Jaffery ran unsuccessfully in the 2018 and 2022 municipal elections. His 2022 campaign centered around resident safety, affordable housing and increasing parks and greenspace to decrease carbon pollution.  

David Shaw’s name has also appeared on the ballot in the last week, vying once again for the mayoral position after he came second to Crombie in 2022 (he garnered less than ten percent of the support she won with). According to his website, which has not been updated, in 2022 he campaigned on improving affordability while promising no tax increases for the upcoming budget at the time and demanding more financial support from upper levels of government for food banks. 

George Tavares, who previously ran for mayor in the 2022 election, will be among those battling again for the seat.

“With a deep commitment to serving the people of Mississauga, I am eager to embark on this journey of positive change alongside my fellow residents,” Tavares stated in an email to The Pointer 

His campaign will prioritize “critical issues facing [the] city,” including affordable housing, transit improvements, crime reduction, and promoting accountability and transparency in local governance “to elevate the overall quality of life in Mississauga.” 

“It is my firm belief that by addressing these challenges head-on, we can significantly enhance the quality of life for all members of our community,” he stated. 

His key campaign points will include focusing on ensuring responsible fiscal management to minimize the burden on taxpayers, proposing the implementation of a comprehensive traffic management system, introducing a transit management system, initiating a free bike-to-bus program to gather essential data for the strategic establishment of bike lanes and focusing on infrastructure improvements. 

Other candidates currently registered include long-time resident and founder of Tolias Landscaping and Plowing, Peter Tolias, and Peter McCallion, son of long-time Mississauga mayor Hazel McCallion.

According to a January poll, Carolyn Parrish is the front runner among decided voters in the upcoming Mississauga by-election to replace former mayor Bonnie Crombie.

(Liaison Strategies)

A previous poll determined Parrish was the frontrunner in the race, leading by 11 percentage points among decided voters and six points among all voters ahead of her nearest competitor, Councillor Damerla. The survey showed Parrish had the support of 35 percent of those residents who responded and identified as decided voters. Damerla followed with 24 percent. Tedjo was third at 16 percent and Dasko was tied in fifth with 6 percent support. Almost half, 49 percent, of those surveyed indicated they were undecided. George Tavares’ name also appeared in the poll, along with his former 2022 mayoral opponent David Shaw.

Residents have until April 26 to register, ahead of the June 10 by-election. 

Email: [email protected] 

Twitter: @mcpaigepeacock

At a time when vital public information is needed by everyone, The Pointer has taken down our paywall on all stories to ensure every resident of Brampton, Mississauga and Niagara has access to the facts. For those who are able, we encourage you to consider a subscription. This will help us report on important public interest issues the community needs to know about now more than ever. You can register for a 30-day free trial HERE. Thereafter, The Pointer will charge $10 a month and you can cancel any time right on the website. Thank you