With less than a month until voters choose Mississauga’s next mayor, four of the city’s leading candidates will take centre stage Thursday night for a highly anticipated debate that could help shape the outcome of one of Ontario’s most closely watched municipal races.The Mississauga mayoral debate, moderated by CityNews Toronto’s Mark McAllister, comes as the campaign enters a critical phase ahead of election day on Oct. 26.The race has attracted attention largely because it pits incumbent Carolyn Parrish against former three-term mayor Bonnie Crombie, while councillors Dipika Damerla and Alvin Tedjo continue to position themselves as alternatives to what they describe as the city’s political establishment.Fourteen candidates are officially running for mayor, though recent polling has suggested the contest is largely focused on Parrish, Crombie and Tedjo, with Damerla remaining in the mix and a sizable number of undecided voters still up for grabs.Composite photo shows the four leading candidates in the race for Mississauga mayor. (L-R) Alvin Tedjo, Bonnie Crombie, Dipika Demerla, Carolyn Parrish. CITYNEWS.Transit, taxes and accountability expected to dominateOne of the key themes expected to emerge Thursday is transportation.Crombie recently unveiled a transit-focused platform that includes a proposal to extend Toronto’s Line 2 Bloor-Danforth subway west into Mississauga through Sherway Gardens and ultimately toward the city centre, arguing residents spend too much time stuck in traffic. She has also called for stronger commitments from Metrolinx and the province to complete the Hazel McCallion LRT.Damerla has centred much of her campaign on fiscal accountability and government oversight. Earlier this week, she renewed calls for Mississauga to establish an independent auditor general, saying the city needs stronger mechanisms to scrutinize spending and investigate complaints.Tedjo has continued to focus heavily on affordability, recently unveiling a platform that includes a two-year freeze on Mississauga’s share of residential property taxes and a proposal to permanently freeze municipal property tax increases for qualifying seniors. He says the plan would also give residents more time to pay property taxes without interest penalties, return city budget savings to taxpayers through credits, and reduce costs for families accessing city programs.Meanwhile, Parrish has highlighted actions taken during her tenure, including housing initiatives, expanded transit service and programs aimed at supporting seniors.High-stakes debate as voters weigh experience versus changeHousing affordability is also expected to be a major topic.The candidates have offered differing approaches to increasing housing supply, with proposals ranging from accelerating apartment construction and supporting affordable housing projects to encouraging more townhomes and other housing forms in established neighbourhoods.The contest has largely been framed around experience versus change.Parrish, who won the 2024 mayoral by-election following Crombie’s departure, is seeking her first full mandate as mayor. Crombie is attempting a political comeback after leaving city hall to lead the Ontario Liberal Party before resigning, while Tedjo and Damerla have both argued voters are looking for a fresh direction at city hall.