After 40 years in politics, Mississaugas newest mayor says shes not done yet – Toronto [Video]

When Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish resigned from a regional police board, citing the need to be openly critical of the largest budget increase in the force’s history, her decision took many by surprise.

But to those who’ve known her long enough, this is how the 78-year-old former member of Parliament has always approached politics –outspoken, bold and sometimes controversial.

After quitting the Peel Police Services Board last fall, Parrish said the $144-million boost to the police budget – 62 per cent of which is covered by Mississauga taxpayers – was “unreasonable.”

“The reason I had to quit is you have to sign a pledge when you go on the police services board never to disagree with a decision made at the board – publicly,” she said in an interview in her office last month. “I had no choice but to resign.”

The unusual move has been one of the hallmarks …