Carolyn Parrish surges ahead in race for Mississauga mayor

spaminator · May 8, 2024

Carolyn Parrish surges ahead in race for Mississauga mayor: Poll
'Name recognition is almost certainly playing a large factor'

Author of the article:Kevin Connor
Published May 06, 2024 • Last updated 2 days ago • 2 minute read

Mississauga mayoral candidate Carolyn Parrish has extended her lead in the race.

A new Liaison Strategies poll for the National Ethnic Press and Media Council of Canada finds Parrish is now at 28% among all voters, up from 18% in March.

“Just on candidate filings and withdrawals alone a lot has taken place in the Mississauga byelection,” said David Valentin, principal at Liaison Strategies, in a release on Monday.

“Brian Crombie, ex-husband of former mayor and current Ontario Party Leader Bonnie Crombie, has filed. Peter McCallion, son of the longest-serving mayor of Mississauga, Hazel McCallion, has dropped out and endorsed the front runner, Carolyn Parrish.

“In the midst of all these comings and goings, Brian Crombie has debuted with 7% support among all voters, and Councillor Stephen Dasko has gained 3% and is now at 11%.

“However, the real story is former councillor (and former MP) Carolyn Parrish has grown her support by 8 points and now enjoys a 17-point lead,” Valentin said.

Support for Parrish is strongest with seniors, who are considered the most reliable voters.

Councillor Dipika Damerla has 20% of the vote putting him in second place and Alvin Tedjo at 17%.

“Damerla does best among seniors while Tedjo does best with the 18-34 cohort,” the pollster noted.

Valentin added: “The race in Mississauga has had plenty of developments and name recognition is almost certainly playing a large factor.”

The survey was done April 29 and 30 using interactive voice response technology, and the poll surveyed 907 Mississauga residents. The margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 3.25%, 19 times out of 20.

The mayoral byelection, being held after Bonnie Crombie quit to take the leadership of the provincial Liberal Party, will be held on June 10. The winner will serve for the remainder of the 2022-26 city council term.

AMONG ALL VOTERS
28% – Carolyn Parrish (+10 from March 21-22 poll)
15% – Dipika Damerla (No Change)
13% – Alvin Tedjo (No Change)
8% – Stephen Dasko (+3)
5% – Brian Crombie (New Candidate)
4% – George Tavares (No Change)
2% – David Shaw (No Change)
25% Undecided (-12)

DECIDED VOTERS ONLY
37% – Carolyn Parrish (+8)
20% – Dipika Damerla (-4)
17% – Alvin Tedjo (-4)
11% – Stephen Dasko (+3)
7% – Brian Crombie (New Candidate)
5% – George Tavares (-1)
3% – David Shaw (No Change)

http://mcusercontent.com/de85a14a3dcadd8e377462ff6/files/fa16098c-f779-e2b8-7869-a5f41fd7f916/LS_Mississauga_2024_April.pdf

Carolyn Parrish surges ahead in race for Mississauga mayor: Poll

A new Liaison Strategies poll says Parrish is now at 28% among all voters, up from 18% in March.

torontosun.com

petros · May 8, 2024

Tecumsehsbones · May 8, 2024

Yeah, but that's just the fourth furlong. Though I must say, she certainly looks the part!

harrylee · May 8, 2024

Somebody please dig up Hazel

spaminator · Wednesday at 9:58 PM

Parrish feels heat in Mississauga's hotly-contested mayoral race

Author of the article:Joe Warmington
Published Jun 04, 2024 • 3 minute read

This battle to become Mississauga's next mayor is burning hot.
Carolyn Parrish is the frontrunner in the race to become Mississauga's next mayor.
This battle to become Mississauga’s next mayor is burning hot.

Not since the city’s famous train derailment decades ago has Mississauga experienced such heat.

For the 36 years, Hurricane Hazel McCallion was mayor — between 1978 and 2014. McCallion was so popular, she didn’t even bother to put out election signs or campaign much when asking voters to mark her name on ballots.

But Mississauga — Canada’s seventh-largest city with a population of 829,000 — has matured and is a different city than the one McCallion presided over. Like many communities in Canada, residents are struggling with traffic, crimes like carjacking and housing shortages.

The latest polls indicate Carolyn Parrish, a councillor and former Liberal MP, is the front-runner in a pack of 20 candidates vying for Mississauga’s top municipal job.

Voters go to the polls in a byelection next Monday to replace former incumbent Bonnie Crombie, who’s now leader of Ontario’s Liberal Party.

Current councillors Dipika Damerla, Stephen Dasko and Alvin Tedjo, as well as the former mayor’s ex-husband, Brian Crombie, are among those challenging Parrish. They are all good candidates.

All eyes are in the by-election for Mississauga mayor
All eyes are in the by-election for Mississauga mayor
During this campaign, Parrish drew criticism after refusing to participate in a number of debates, saying she made the decision because she had been “personally threatened.”

“This campaign has been the ugliest I have ever been in,” admitted Parrish, who is no stranger to controversy.

An MP from1993-2004, Parrish was turfed from the Liberal caucus and forced to sit as an independent.

Parrish was ejected from the Liberal caucus after criticizing then-U.S. president George W. Bush and told then-prime minister Paul Martin that he could “go to hell” if he didn’t like what she said.

The Toronto Sun put some questions on key issues to Parrish:

What is the future of Mississauga’s downtown?

“I really want to recreate the downtown of our city. There have been proposals with some of developers to do a conference centre and hotel on the Living Arts Centre (LAC) Land and modernizing it. We need to enliven the heart of our city, so our residents stay here rather than go to Toronto for entertainment.”

Will Mississauga impose a land-transfer tax like Toronto?

“The public is strongly opposed. I will not be contemplating nor even discussing a MLTT (municipal land transfer tax.”

What is the plan to deal with crippling traffic?

“A first-class transportation system is the backbone of any progressive and affordable city. Making transit an agreeable alternative to the car can reduce traffic congestion, but we need more progressive solutions. The Hurontario LRT is a start.”

What about wait times for 911 calls?

“Wait time for 911 calls indicate that the police force needs more officers but also a different type of service. The police chief presents regularly to Regional Council and provides statistics that indicate a huge number of calls involve mental health issues and require mental health experts rather than persons specifically trained in basic police work.”

Are there untapped lands that could be utilized to solve housing crisis?

“I have touched on this with the rezoning of Hurontario. Since Mississauga is built out to its boundaries except for isolated pieces of land, a creative approach to house the 300,000 persons we are expected to receive in the future, needs to be found. Rezoning stretches of large malls, while retaining stores in the bases of apartment buildings, creates shoppers for the mall owners and the added residential units we need.”

Voters know Carolyn Parrish, but not for the right reasons. They should consider what the candidates want to do for the city, writes columnist Brian Lilley..

Carolyn Parrish is the front runner in the Mississauga by-election for mayor
Carolyn Parrish is the front runner in the Mississauga by-election for mayor
Will you be pushing for Mississauga to leave Peel Region?

“I believe separation from Peel was most practical 25 years ago when Mississauga was growing, was able to be self-sufficient and less locked into regional services. The Region is a $3.6-billion operation which handles a massive social service sector as well as core services like water, wastewater, garbage and recycling, a joint police force and paramedics. I believe the time to break up the Region has passed.”

Why did you decide to no longer attend mayoral debates?

“Our office received threats after the first all candidates’ meeting. I tend to ignore those as I received them in the Iraq War and other controversial times of my career … On the advice of my very experienced campaign manager, I chose to decline debate invitations and booked events with the public every evening, sometimes several, where I could answer the questions that really matter.”

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1796933445660053781

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1796923069006598167