Mississauga “will not lose its character” as its newly-elected mayor and city council begin their next term of governance.

City council held its inaugural meeting at the Living Arts Centre on Dec. 3, where Mayor Bonnie Crombie and 11 councillors were sworn-in for the 2018-2022 term. Major issues facing the council over the next four years include transit, affordability, attracting business and investment to the city, and community safety.

Most of city council remains the same — Crombie was re-elected by a landslide win, and all nine incumbent councillors were re-elected. New additions include ward 1 councillor Stephen Dasko, who takes over for the late Jim Tovey, and ward 7 councillor Dipika Damerla, who takes over for retired former councillor Nando Iannicca.

Damerla is the first Indo-Canadian and first Indo-Canadian woman elected to Mississauga city council.

“It’s special,” she said of being elected. “It’s like another barrier broken, and I’m proud and privileged.”

Having been the Mississauga East-Cooksville MPP and Minister of Seniors Affairs, Damerla said that she was very familiar with the issues in her ward and the city. She said that the heart of Cooksville — Hurontario and Dundas — has a lot of potential, and she’d love to focus on the area.

Dasko comes in with “big shoes to fill,” as he says. He’s inherited several ongoing projects and issues in the ward, including the waterfront development, West Village, Inspiration Lakeview, and increasingly congested traffic along Lakeshore Road. But he added that he's "up for the challenge."

Crombie’s inaugural speech outlined what she and city council hope to achieve in the coming term. On transit, she said that council is committed to getting the Hurontario LRT built, advocating for all-day two-way service on three GO train lines — including the Milton line — expedite the congestion study on Lakeshore Road and work to implement rapid transit on Dundas Street.

On affordability, the mayor said that council aims to keep property taxes below the GTA average while seeking efficiencies in spending at City Hall. The city’s Making Room for the Middle Plan, aimed at increase the supply of affordable housing, will continue with the same goals.

In the last term, Mississauga has attracted or helped expand more than 430 companies, adding 11,500 jobs and $20 million in annual revenue; in the next term, Crombie said that city council is dedicated to continue attracting new businesses and making Mississauga a desired place to invest.