Donovan Vincent: Chow, Crombie and Parrish: praise for three formidable women mayors - Toronto Star

These three women share one similarity; they’ve tasted bitter defeat in their political careers yet lived to fight another day.

We should celebrate the remarkable political careers of Carolyn Parrish, left, Bonnie Crombie, centre, and Olivia Chow.

Donovan Vincent is the Star’s Public Editor and based in Toronto. Reach him by email at publiced@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @donovanvincent.

During her concession speech in front of supporters Monday night after a losing bid to stay on as mayor of Mississauga, Carolyn Parrish reflected on her time in politics.

“I’ve had a great career. I can’t complain after 40 years in the business,” she told the room.

Her “great career” remark had me scratching my head at first, given she had just lost.

But then I thought about Parrish’s many years in office, as well as those of former Mississauga mayor Bonnie Crombie, and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, all three of whom I’ve interviewed or written about over my years as a journalist for the Star.

Though Chow prevailed Monday in Toronto, while Parrish and Crombie both lost in Mississauga’s mayoral contest to Alvin Tedjo, it struck me that the three women share one similarity; they’ve tasted bitter defeat in their political careers yet lived to fight another day.

Why did some commentators highlight the fact that Olivia Chow didn’t win by as much as her male predecessors?