Another Mississauga city councillor decides to retire

Another longtime member of Mississauga city council has decided to retire from municipal politics.

Ward 11 Councillor George Carlson, first elected to council in 2000 after 15 years as a public school trustee in Mississauga, announced yesterday (May 11) via social media that he will not be seeking re-election in this October’s municipal election.

“I will be retiring from elected office this fall. It’s been a great career. More to come in the days ahead. Don’t worry, it’s a happy announcement. Thanks for allowing me to serve over 30 years!” Carlson posted, in part, on Twitter.

Carlson’s announcement comes one week after his council colleague, Ward 9’s Pat Saito, officially made her retirement plans known when she addressed the matter at city council.

Saito was first elected to the council seat in 1991.

Carlson, a direct descendant of one of Streetsville’s founders, Henry Rutledge, has received a number of awards and other recognition over the years.

He’s been honoured by Credit Valley Conservation for his dedication to the environment and by Heritage Mississauga for his support of heritage issues, among other awards and honours.

Carlson has also received a Queen’s Jubilee Medal marking his commitment to community volunteerism.

While most of the incumbents on council have officially signed on to once again run for office in the fall, there are several openings for new faces.

In addition to Carlson and Saito’s vacated seats, Ward 2 is also up for grabs after the much-publicized retirement earlier this year of former councillor Karen Ras.

Longtime member of council Pat Mullin came out of retirement to temporarily fill the Ward 2 vacancy. She’ll leave office on Nov. 14, when the new council is sworn in.

Also, Ward 7 Councillor Dipika Damerla is running in the provincial election slated for June. If successful in that attempt, she will vacate the Ward 7 seat.

In Ward 6, incumbent Ron Starr hadn’t officially registered to run as of May 12. He’s currently being investigated by the City of Mississauga’s integrity commissioner over allegations he repeatedly vandalized Ras’s SUV while it was parked in the City Hall underground parking lot.

The nomination period for the upcoming municipal election, to be held Oct. 24, opened on May 2 and will close Aug. 19.

To see the list of candidates, and for other Mississauga election information, visit the City’s website.