Five takeaways from the surprising Mississauga mayoral race - Toronto Star

The Mississauga mayoral election saw underdog Alvin Tedjo decisively beat two political heavyweights.

Alvin Tedjo is swarmed by supporters after he becomes the new mayor for Mississauga.

The Mississauga mayoral election was a roller-coaster ride that ended with a shocking underdog win by rookie councillor Alvin Tedjo.

His victory over incumbent mayor Carolyn Parrish and former mayor Bonnie Crombie was also remarkable in that it came with a decisive lead of more than 20,000 votes over Parrish and 30,000 over Crombie with almost all polls reporting. 

“The polls really underestimated us, but we really smacked them,” said elated Tedjo supporter and University of Toronto Mississauga student Jan Durkiewicz on Monday night.

Tedjo, 43, said his win shows that people in Mississauga were ready for someone new. He is the first mayor since 1978 not to be, or have served under the legendary Hazel McCallion. 

“People in this city are choosing change … and we’re going to deliver that,” Tedjo told reporters. “We gotta get to work, starting tomorrow.”

Tedjo will now lead a council that he was first elected to four years ago, and will have to deliver on his pledge to freeze the city portion of property taxes for the next two years.