Here are three candidates Mississauga should consider before Parrish

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If Carolyn Parrish is elected mayor of Mississauga next week, it will be on name recognition alone. Hopefully one of the contenders in his challenge will manage to achieve victory, as well as the mayor’s chair, by proposing the type of policies the city needs.

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If Parrish is in the lead, it’s only because she’s been hanging around in Mississauga politics for too long. Mississauga needs a new voice and no one can claim that Parrish is a new or welcome voice.

She served as the region’s Liberal MP from 1993 until 2004, when she was kicked out of the Liberal caucus and forced to sit as an independent. Parrish was expelled from the Liberal caucus after expressing harsh criticism of then-U.S. President George W. Bush and telling then-Prime Minister Paul Martin that he could “go to hell” if he didn’t like what she said.

She served as a Mississauga city councilor from 2006 to 2010, lost her bid for re-election, then lost a by-election in 2011 to Bonnie Crombie. In 2014, she won a seat on the council, replacing Crombie who was elected mayor.

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Parrish has the support of 29% of the city’s decided voters, according to a Liaison Strategies survey. That’s five points ahead of its nearest competitor, but represents a drop from 37% support a month earlier.

There are also still 16% of undecided voters, and Parrish’s nine-point drop shows that voters aren’t necessarily set on who to vote for. With low voter turnout, the right candidate could turn things around and steal the show.

Dipka Damerla is the candidate currently in second place, according to Liaison, with 24% support. She was a Liberal MP and minister under Kathleen Wynne who successfully ran for council after losing in the 2018 provincial election.

His big winning promise is to scrap the bike path extension on Bloor Street in Mississauga. This is likely to be seen as “controversial” by the “pundits” and chattering classes, but popular with voters who live there and have to drive through the area.

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She also appeals to NIMBY voters by saying any growth in Mississauga has to be the right kind of growth. While most politicians go to voters promising more housing to combat affordability, Damerla goes to existing homeowners worried about the value of their homes.

Alvin Tedjo, third with 19% of decided voters, addresses owners unhappy with the increase in property tax rates. He pledges to freeze property taxes until at least 2026 if he is elected mayor, calling it a guarantee of financial accessibility.

Tedjo can already point out that he voted twice for tax cuts at city hall and managed to legalize street hockey and basketball during his short tenure on council. Issues like playing street hockey or basketball may seem minor, but bans imposed by bureaucrats are the kind of issues that drive residents crazy when it comes to dealing with city hall.

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Stephen Dasko is the dark horse to defeat Parrish; according to Liaison, he has only 12% support. But given recent developments in the polls and the high number of undecided voters, he has an outside chance.

Dasko promises to work on affordability and community safety, specifically highlighting car thefts, gun violence and street racing. He promises to reduce the speed limit on residential streets and review the bike lanes on Bloor Street.

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Like the others, Dasko has been in politics for some time; he worked for years at Queen’s Park for the Progressive Conservative Party, but also worked in the private sector, including as chief operating officer of a technology company.

One week before the June 10 election, voters still have a chance to make up their minds.

Any of the other three candidates – out of a total of 20 – would make a much better choice for mayor than Parrish. It’s time for voters to examine the candidates and see which one fits their priorities.

Voting for a candidate just because you remember their name, for the wrong reasons, is not the best way to elect a mayor.

Parrish has name recognition, but not for the right reasons.

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