Calling it a “complete betrayal by an old friend,” Councillor Katie Mahoney says she can’t believe Mayor Hazel McCallion picked a favourite in the battle to replace her as Mississauga’s mayor.

In a move that has rocked Mississauga’s election, McCallion gave the nod to Councillor Bonnie Crombie over Mahoney’s husband, Steve.

“I have every confidence that when you review it, you will vote for Bonnie Crombie,” McCallion said Saturday. “I think you know me well. I say it the way it is, not politically. I’m saying it because of my experience working with her.”

With recent polls showing Steve Mahoney with a four-point lead over Crombie, it’s needless to say this endorsement comes as a royal blessing for Crombie.

“It hurt,” Katie Mahoney — a veteran Mississauga councillor — admitted Monday. “I do feel used and abused.”

It was like a punch in the gut to Katie who sat with Hazel on council for 23 years and supported her unconditionally when she was in the height of controversy during the Mississauga hotel inquiry which examined the actions of McCallion and her son, Peter.

Some urged Katie Mahoney to walk away from the Mississauga matriarch at the time.

“I was a friend and would not do that,” said Katie, who added she was the one who asked Mississauga councillors to “walk together with Hazel into the council chamber so she would not have to walk alone.”

It was support for McCallion in bad times — and not just the good.

“I was loyal,” said Katie. “She got what she wanted from me and obviously does not need me anymore.”

Calls were put into McCallion, who is travelling to Asia, but not returned.

Her support of Crombie came at a particularly bad time for the Mahoneys since Steve’s 94-year-old mother, Annie Bernice Mahoney, died on the same day. The couple’s 45th wedding anniversary was the day before.

While McCallion certainly has every right to back any candidate she chooses, it was a double cross as far as Katie Mahoney is concerned.

“We had never asked Hazel to endorse or support Steve and we would not put her in that position,” said Katie.

McCallion told me herself in June she would not weigh into the race because of the obvious implication it could have on the outcome. She clearly changed her mind.

“I say to the young people,” Hazel said. “Bonnie is young and ambitious and she works hard and she’s got some new ideas and I hope these new ideas will come forward.”

Steve Mahoney, whose resume includes Mississauga councillor, MPP and MP, was taking it in stride.

“People are still going to vote for who they feel will do the best job,” he said.

He’s not mad at Hazel.

“I mean this is a woman I have had out on my snow machine,” he said, laughing.

She is, after all, family to the Mahoneys, who have had her to their cottage to go fishing. That said, they certainly didn’t expect a political stiletto from her.

Although Steve holds no grudges, Katie is not as forgiving.

“I was shocked and appalled. I told her I thought it was a betrayal of a family and of a good and loyal friend,” she said.

Mahoney said neutrality was all they expected and she was “surprised” she didn’t get advance notice.

Katie, who is retiring from politics and whose son Matt is vying for her vacated seat, even left McCallion a voicemail of protest.

“She did this (publicly backing Crombie) just after returning home from Brazil and then jumping on an airplane and going off to China for 10 days,” said Katie. “I have not yet heard back from her.”

For Crombie, it’s support from an icon.

It’s going to be interesting to see what kind of weight it holds. Does Hazel still walk on water in Mississauga to a point where she can tell residents who should be mayor?

Or will there be a backlash from people seeing this as the same kind of cynical ploy she pulled by backing the Premier Kathleen Wynne and the Liberals in the spring election and calling the Mississauga gas plant scandal “water under the bridge.”

Time will tell what the voters say. But one thing for sure is it may be a while before the latest controversy is water under the bridge for Katie Mahoney.