A first for Mississauga as city’s new mayor wastes no time making changes

Mississauga’s new mayor hasn’t wasted any time in making her presence felt at city hall.

Mayor Carolyn Parrish was officially sworn in on Monday night and on Wednesday morning the longtime politician chaired her first city council meeting as successor to former three-term mayor Bonnie Crombie, who bolted Canada’s seventh-largest city in January to lead the Ontario Liberal Party.

A right-hand man to the mayor was appointed in short order as the City of Mississauga for the first time in its history has a deputy mayor. By late Wednesday afternoon, the municipality also had a new city manager and CAO in place.

Mayor Carolyn Parrish is wasting no time making key changes at the city.

Ward 8 Coun. Matt Mahoney, elected in 2014 and now in his third term, was introduced as deputy mayor at the council meeting.

A city spokesperson said in a news release that Mahoney, in his additional role, will support the mayor and serve as acting mayor “at functions or activities at her discretion, including, but not limited to, official city events, intergovernmental and third-party meetings.”

He’ll also become permanent chair of general committee and preside at council and other committee meetings as required, the city added.

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Mahoney’s council colleagues congratulated him and added his schedule is about to become much busier.

Mississauga Ward 8 Coun. Matt Mahoney has been named the city’s first deputy mayor.

The new deputy mayor said he’s anxious to take on the role, noting that “as councillors and politicians in general, (we) understand the commitment we make to our community, our city.

“I think we all would agree that we need to work together just to move our city forward and we’re all going to be a team,” he continued. “We already are a team, and a strong team, and my commitment is to this council, to the new mayor and of course to the residents of Mississauga and I certainly look forward to the challenge. It is a lot of work, but I’ve never been shy of work … and I’m looking forward to the role.”

Mahoney, who has sat on numerous committees during his time on council, will serve as deputy mayor for the remainder of council’s term, which concludes in fall 2026.

“Mississauga is a vibrant, growing city and as Ontario’s third-largest city, it’s crucial that we are prepared and responding to our community’s needs,” Parrish said. “I’m pleased to announce Matt Mahoney as our deputy mayor. With his wealth of experience and dedication as a councillor for many years, he will diligently work to ensure we continue to advance key priorities and actions for Mississauga.”

Born and raised in Mississauga, Mahoney grew up in a politically active household. His mother, Katie, was a seven-term Mississauga city councillor after being elected in 1992 and his father, Steve, was a veteran of provincial and federal politics who lost the mayor’s race in 2014 to Crombie.

Earlier this year, in announcing he was not running to succeed Crombie, the younger Mahoney didn’t rule out a future run for mayor.