With six weeks left until candidate nominations close, one ward in particular in Mississauga is already offering 2026 municipal election voters a crowded field of hopefuls from which to choose.<\/p>\n
With 12 people entered in the Ward 7 race as of Tuesday afternoon, twice as many candidates as any other Mississauga contest, it appears to be a wide open competition for the council seat that represents residents and businesses in the south-central part of the city that\u2019s anchored by Cooksville.<\/p>\n
Current Ward 7 Coun. Dipika Damerla decided early last month to enter the mayoral contest, which will see six candidates \u2014 including the incumbent Carolyn Parrish \u2014 battle it out for the city\u2019s top elected position<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ward 2 Coun. Alvin Tedjo, David Shaw, Mike Matulewicz and Olivia Gannon are also vying for the mayor\u2019s seat.<\/p>\n Shaw ran in both the 2024 mayoral byelection and the 2022 municipal election while\u00a0Matulewicz was also among the 20 candidates to run in the city\u2019s mayoral byelection two years ago.<\/p>\n Parrish won the mayoral byelection in June 2024<\/a> to succeed outgoing mayor Bonnie Crombie, who left to join the Ontario Liberal Party and run for premier.<\/p>\n The Ward 5 contest in Mississauga also features six candidates, including incumbent Natalie Hart.<\/p>\n The municipal election will be held Oct. 26. Candidate nominations opened May 1 and continue until Aug. 21 at 2 p.m.<\/p>\n