Following a series of assertive actions in her first week as mayor, Carolyn Parrish has decided to adjust one of her initial decisions. She has returned the authority to hire and dismiss most city employees to Mississauga’s chief administrative officer (CAO), reversing part of a decision made at the end of June, as outlined in a mayoral announcement on Tuesday, July 8.

Before the implementation of strong-mayor powers under the Doug Ford government in several Ontario cities in 2023, the CAO, also referred to as the city manager, held responsibility for hiring and firing most city staff. Former mayor Bonnie Crombie had effectively restored this authority to former CAO Shari Lichterman in July 2023, while maintaining the strong-mayor power to appoint and remove the city manager and commissioners overseeing major service departments such as roads, transit, and recreation. Crombie had also committed to consulting with and considering recommendations from the city manager regarding the appointment and removal of commissioners.

Parrish’s recent decision on July 8 represents a reversal of her action on June 25 to rescind Crombie’s decision from July 2023. Following Parrish’s initial move to reclaim the authority to appoint and dismiss city staff from the CAO, she proceeded to appoint an interim CAO, transportation commissioner, city solicitor, and infrastructure planning director, following the departure of former city solicitor Andra Maxwell and Lichterman.

Lichterman, who had assumed the role of Mississauga CAO in 2023, stated to the Mississauga News that she did not resign but was terminated by Parrish. The new mayor did not respond to inquiries from the Mississauga News regarding these developments.

While Parrish has delegated the authority to appoint and dismiss most city employees back to the CAO, she has retained the power, as Crombie did previously, to appoint and remove city commissioners and the city manager. Additionally, unlike Crombie, Parrish has chosen to retain the authority to appoint and remove the city solicitor, who oversees the city’s legal services department, handling various legal matters including litigation and Ontario Land Tribunal hearings.

The Mississauga News sought clarification from Parrish on why she chose to reallocate the authority over hiring and firing certain city staff to the CAO and why she decided to maintain control over the removal and appointment of the CAO, commissioners, and city solicitor. Previously, Parrish had indicated she would not discuss personnel matters within the city.

While Ontario’s strong-mayor framework grants authority to hire and fire most city staff, there are specific roles for which such powers do not apply, including the fire chief, integrity commissioner, and city clerk.

Parrish, who had indicated before assuming office that she would only use strong-mayor powers concerning housing issues, has also utilized these enhanced powers to make several council-related appointments. Notably, she appointed Ward 8 Councillor Matt Mahoney as chair of Mississauga council’s general committee and appointed councillors Brad Butt and Stephen Dasko as chair and vice-chair of the budget committee. Additionally, Parrish appointed herself as chair of the city’s planning and development committee and appointed Alvin Tedjo as vice-chair.