Long-serving municipal politician Carolyn Parrish has been elected as Mississauga’s new mayor.

Parrish, who has held positions on Mississauga City Council for 13 years and served as a Member of Parliament in Ottawa for the same duration, emerged victorious in Mississauga’s mayoral byelection tonight. She succeeds Bonnie Crombie, who vacated the position in January to lead the Ontario Liberal Party.

With all polls reporting as of 10 p.m., Parrish secured victory in a field of 20 candidates, earning 43,494 votes. Close behind were current Mississauga councillors Alvin Tedjo (35,005), Dipika Damerla (27,119), and Stephen Dasko (22,408), who finished second through fourth, respectively.

David Shaw, a previous mayoral candidate, placed fifth (2,843), while Brian Crombie, Bonnie Crombie’s ex-husband, came in sixth (2,242).

Parrish resigned from the Ward 5 council seat in March to pursue the mayoral position. The vacant council seat was filled in the same byelection, with Natalie Hart receiving 3,707 votes to secure first place among 15 candidates.

Addressing reporters at the Mississauga Convention Centre after her victory, Parrish expressed confidence despite recent polls indicating a narrowing gap between her and her main competitors.

In a spontaneous victory speech, Parrish, known for her candid and outspoken demeanor, discarded prepared remarks to speak off the cuff.

“My first order of business will be to unite with fellow Peel mayors in Brampton and Caledon,” Parrish declared to a lively crowd of supporters, outlining plans to advocate for fair funding for social services from both Queen’s Park and Ottawa.

“The region (of Peel) is going to be stronger now because you’re going to have three mayors that actually get along,” Parrish stated, blending charm and assertiveness in her approach.

The candidates contested to become the seventh mayor in Mississauga’s history, predating the city’s incorporation in 1974. Other candidates in the mayoral byelection included Zulfiqar Ali, Diya Atassi, Jamie Dookie, Frank Fang, Xiaohua Gong, Winston Harding, Sara Iqbal, Syed Jaffery, Mohsin Khan, Mitchell MacEachern, Sinisa Mandrapa, Mike Matulewicz, George Tavares, and Nathalie Xian Yi Yan.