A new poll on Mississauga politics shows that Bonnie Crombie could beat incumbent Mayor Carolyn Parrish in next year’s election.
Former Mayor and former Liberal leader Crombie leads with 32% of support with Parrish right behind with 28%. Current councillors and former mayoral candidates Alvin Tedjo, Dipika Damerla and Stephen Dasko trail behind, in that order.
“I think part of what we’re seeing is that Bonnie Crombie’s brand is still strong enough to force a competitive race in Mississauga,” says Liaison’s David Valentin, in an interview with MPulse Mississauga. “Parrish, for her part, is polling around the same level of support she received in the by-election and hasn’t been able to expand her coalition.”
Crombie recently resigned as Ontario Liberal leader, but has made no public comment on what, if anything, she intends to do next with her political career.
The polling also looks at approval ratings for Parrish — who previously served as a city councillor and Member of Parliament for the area. The polling shows her approval rating at 45% compared to 40% who disapprove, with 15% undecided.
“Her numbers should definitely be higher and there doesn’t appear to be much of a honeymoon for the new mayor,” says Valentin. “Partly, that may be because of property tax increases, but with crime the top issue of 29% of Mississaugans, some voters may have been turned off from the Mayor’s resignation from the police board.”
These low approval ratings indicate that Parrish could also lose re-election to a candidate other than the former Liberal leader.
“I think even without Crombie that the mayor would be vulnerable at this point given her relatively low approval rating,” Valentin says. “For her to be successful with this rating she would need a fractured field. So if there is just one strong candidate, such as Crombie, then that poses a real threat to her.”
