Endorsements pour in for Carolyn Parrish; Tedjo gets support from three councillors 

In Mississauga, like a well-known name brand, certain endorsements can hold a lot of weight in elections. 

When the late Hazel McCallion stepped aside in 2014 after decades helming the city’s municipal government her backing would effectively crown the next mayor, Bonnie Crombie, who won going away (she had already enjoyed a semi-comfortable lead). While the support being thrown behind some of the current mayoral candidates ahead of the June 10 election may not carry the same weight, the cumulative impact of endorsements from those with a track record of service to their city could help sway the result. 

The frontrunner according to early polling, Carolyn Parrish, is starting to enjoy support from some well known leaders in the community.  

Retired longtime Mississauga councillor Pat Saito, who represented Ward 9 for over three decades and had perhaps the strongest record on council for public safety and fiscal responsibility, has thrown her support behind Parrish, who resigned from her Ward 5 seat in March “as a matter of principle” to focus on her campaign and avoid a second byelection later in the year at a cost of $500,000 to the city’s taxpayers. 

As endorsements begin to come forward to support candidates vying to become Mississauga’s next leader, former Ward 9 councillor Pat Saito recently backed her former colleague, Carolyn Parrish.

(Pat Saito/X) 

“As the mayoral race heats up I want to be very clear that I am 100 [percent] in support of Carolyn Parrish. She is the ONLY candidate with the experience and the knowledge to lead our city.  The field is filled with rookies and newcomers with no record of achievements as Councillors,” an April 6 post by Saito on X said. “There are too many issues facing Council to have a Mayor who will have to learn on the job, Carolyn gets things done… her record shows that and she knows how to work with other levels of government, if we want our city to thrive she is the only leader who can do that.”

Parrish has been lauded for resigning her council seat, giving up her councillor salary at both the City and Regional level, saving taxpayers almost $50,000 in wages and benefits. Her decision to resign, with the Ward 5 byelection being held simultaneously alongside the mayoral race, will also save as much as $500,000 by avoiding a separate byelection later in the year. 

According to her campaign website, Parrish has won the support of other prominent leaders in the community including Ward 11 Councillor Brad Butt who said in a statement that “Carolyn has the strongest dedication and knowledge to be our next Mayor. We need her experience to work for and with us as we move this City forward.” Other endorsements for Parrish, who is a former Peel school trustee and longtime Mississauga Member of Parliament, include well known Mississauga anti-poverty and equity advocate Michelle Bilek, former longtime Member of Parliament Gurbax Singh Malhi, former Ontario Cabinet Minister and MPP Harinder Takhar, along with several other prominent community members.

A recent poll from Liaison Strategies showed the former Ward 5 councillor is still the frontrunner in the race to become Mississauga’s next leader. 

Mississauga City Councillors Martin Reid, Sue McFadden and Joe Horneck showed their support over the weekend for fellow councillor Alvin Tedjo.

(Alvin Tedjo/X) 

Over the weekend, first-time Councillors Joe Horneck and Martin Reid and veteran Sue McFadden endorsed rookie Councillor Alvin Tedjo at the opening of his campaign office. Peel District School Board (PDSB) Trustee Lucas Alves was also in attendance, showing his support for the Ward 2 councillor, who was elected in the 2022 municipal election. PDSB Trustee Jill Promoli also took to X to voice her support for Tedjo, writing “I am sure of his dedication to public service, the depth of his understanding of the big challenges we're facing, and his kindness and empathy. I'm proud to support him as our next Mayor.” 

The Pointer was not able to find any endorsements listed on their campaign websites or social media for Councillors Stephen Dasko and Dipika Damerla. 

Unlike Parrish, the other three councillors vying to become mayor, Damerla, Tedjo and Dasko, have not stepped away from their councillor duties, choosing to run their mayoral campaigns while collecting their pay. If any of the three win, it would trigger a second byelection to replace them at the ward level, at the cost of about $500,000, according to a City of Mississauga spokesperson. 

While candidate endorsements from councillors and other community leaders could carry a lot of weight in the upcoming mayoral race, the latest Liaison Strategies poll shows Parrish’s lead has narrowed since the previous poll, released in January, with Damerla closing the gap. It showed Parrish has the support of 29 percent of those residents who responded and identified as decided voters. Damerla was at 24 percent, Tedjo was third at 21 percent and Dasko was in fifth among the candidates included in the survey, with 8 percent support.

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Twitter: @mcpaigepeacock

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