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<\/p>\nMost municipal races see an incumbent square off against challengers, but how often do you see a race between a current mayor and one who only left the job two years ago?\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what\u2019s happening in Mississauga, where incumbent Mayor Carolyn Parrish is facing former mayor Bonnie Crombie. Top-polling councillors Alvin Tedjo and Dipika Damerla are also in the running, alongside 10 other candidates competing for the city\u2019s top job.<\/p>\n
With a crowded field and a high-profile showdown at the top of the ticket, the central question hanging over the campaign is whether the drama will actually get residents to the polls.<\/p>\n
“Generally, competitive elections have higher voter turnout,” said Randy Besco, an associate professor of political science at University of Toronto Mississauga. “In part because you have multiple candidates who are trying hard to get their voters out. But also from the voters\u2019 perspective, if it’s competitive, then your vote matters.”<\/p>\n
“If they see lots of evidence of that in the media or on lawn signs, then usually that means the turnout is going to be somewhat higher.”<\/p>\n
Mississauga has historically struggled with voter engagement, seeing only a 21.84 per cent turnout in the 2022 municipal election. While that number ticked up to 25.7 per cent for the 2024 mayoral byelection, the question now is whether this year’s highly publicized rematch will move the needle even further.<\/p>\n
Heated rivalry<\/p>\n
The roots of that rivalry trace back to 2011, when Crombie defeated Parrish by a mere 241 votes to win the council seat for Mississauga\u2019s Ward 5 in a byelection. That closely fought contest marked the start of a decade-long political overlap at city hall.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s longest-serving mayor, Hazel McCallion, chose not to run in the 2014 municipal election and endorsed Crombie to be her successor. Crombie won the mayor\u2019s seat while Parrish won in Ward 5.<\/p>\n
WATCH | Mississauga’s current and former mayor face off in this year’s race:<\/p>\n
The battle between Mississauga’s current and ex mayor<\/p>\n
Mississauga\u2019s current and former mayors are at odds, and the political fallout is making waves. CBC’s Chris Glover speaks with two guests to analyze the high-stakes dynamic between Carolyn Parrish and Bonnie Crombie. Tune in to hear what\u2019s driving this rivalry and what it means for local voter turnout.<\/p>\n
Crombie stepped down in 2024 to lead the Ontario Liberal Party, sparking a mayoral byelection which Parrish won. On election night, Crombie stopped by Parrish\u2019s victory party and called her “a formidable leader for the city\u2019s future.” That clip<\/a> is seeing new life during this campaign, with Parrish re-sharing it online.<\/p>\n Although Crombie managed to regain official party status for the Liberals, she failed to win a seat and stepped down as leader in January. She announced her campaign for her old job in July, setting the stage for a rematch 15 years in the making.<\/p>\n Campaign tactics\u00a0<\/p>\n Since Crombie\u2019s announcement, the two have traded jabs online, with Parrish accusing Crombie of “abandoning” Mississauga and Crombie calling Parrish a mayor who “just sits behind her desk<\/a>.”<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the slew of attack-style online videos from both campaigns. Following last week’s Mississauga Board of Trade debate moderated by CBC News Peel, both candidates shared clips showcasing moments where their opponent stumbled. The theme song to the HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm played underneath a moment<\/a> where Parrish misstated Peel Regional Police funding figures, while Parrish\u2019s campaign highlighted a video of Crombie pausing on a question<\/a> about property taxes.<\/p>\n Parrish also purchased airtime on Toronto radio station NewsTalk 1010 to re-air a podcast interview she conducted with her rival\u2019s ex-husband, Brian Crombie.<\/p>\n The four candidates faced off again on Thursday night in the second debate of the campaign, hosted by Food Banks Mississauga, CityNews and The Metamorphosis Network. <\/p>\n There were several heated personal exchanges between Parrish and Crombie, with Parrish saying “our staff are terrified that the blonde bombshell\u2019s coming back” and Crombie telling Parrish, “Sometimes you have to leave your office, go meet people.” Parrish also brought up Crombie failing to win a seat in the province election and said Crombie was never going to be premier.<\/p>\n While the personal attacks and viral clips circulate on social media, political experts caution that campaign noise rarely moves the dial at the ballot box.<\/p>\n “When stuff happens on Twitter, almost no one sees that,” Besco said. <\/p>\n “Very few people are paying close attention to politicians\u2019 social media accounts. And the people who do pay close attention already have strong opinions that are not going to change. Mostly these things don’t matter, whereas lawn signs are actually seen.”<\/p>\n Beyond the frontrunners\u00a0<\/p>\n
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