Nando Iannicca appointed as chair of Peel Region

Written By JOSHUA SANTOS

An 11-term Mississauga councillor has been appointed as Chair of Peel Region.

Nando Iannicca was selected with a vote of 15 to 9 for the 2018 to 2022 term at the inaugural meeting on Thursday, Dec. 6.

“It's a little overwhelming, I have to tell you, said Iannicca. It's ironic. I've sat in the chamber for 30 years and I've dealt with several regional chairs but to think that I'd end up in that higher seat, it wasn't the original plan, so it's almost surreal but it is an incredible honour and privilege to be sitting up there and to be leading such a wonderful group of councillors and mayors.”

Iannicca was nominated by Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie with Brampton coun. Martin Medeiros seconding the motion. He is the fifth regional chair in Peel's 44-year history.

He served 30 years as Mississauga Ward 7 coun. and was up against Charles Sousa, former Ontario Minister of Finance and 11-year-MPP for Mississauga South under the Liberal Government.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown nominated Sousa with Caledon Mayor Allan Thompson seconding the motion.

Mayor Crombie, Coun. Dipika Damerla, Coun. Chris Fonseca, Coun. John Kovac, Coun. Sue McFadden, Coun. Matt Mahoney, Coun. Karen Ras, Coun. Stephen Dasko, Coun. Gurpeet Dhillon, Coun. Pat Fortini, Coun. Martin Medeiros, Coun. Rowena Santos, Coun. Paul Vicente, Coun. Anette Groves and Coun. Ian Sinclair voted for Iannicca. 

Coun. George Carlson, Coun. Carolyn Parrish, Coun. Pat Saito, Coun. Ron Starr, Mayor Patrick Brown, coun. Michael Palleschi, Mayor Allan Thompson, Coun. Johanna Downey and Coun. Jennifer Innis voted for Sousa.

Iannicca recognized former Chairs Frank Dale and Emil Kolb who were present in council chamber during his appointment. 

He holds degrees in journalism, political science and economics and has worked in the financial services sector for a Bay Street firm before getting into public office. Iannicca said he wasn't initially considering a run for Chair of Peel Region.

“I sort of stumbled into politics, 30 years ago as a local councillor, said Iannicca. I didn't think I'd stay for 30 years but when my 30 years was done, I announced a year ago I was leaving politics and I was hoping to go back into the financial services sector and communications, but then the Premier (Doug Ford) announced there would be an election for Chair. 

“Chairman (Frank) Dale, announced he wasn't running. I was approached by several people to run and thought about it. I thought I would, and the premier changed those rules and said there'd be no more election and I said okay, but I'd let my name stand and others said I should and that's how I ended up here.”

The position as chair was to be voted in during the municipal election in October however Doug Ford abolished the elections of a regional chair for Peel, York, Niagara and Muskoka regions while dismantling the size of Toronto City Council.

Region of Peel councillors decided to return to the appointment system to select a new Chair. 

Iannicca believes he his 30 years of experience on a variety of files makes him a good fit for Chair. He sat on the police commission twice and sat on the conservation authority for about 20 years among numerous boards and committees during his term as councillor.

“I really think I cover the whole package in terms of experience, said Iannicca

“After 30 years you acquire a lot of institutional knowledge. You know the way we perform, how we've gotten to this point. You don't know how to go forward if you don't know what your history is. After 30 years I know quite a bit of how we ended up here and the marvelous way we've gotten here and maybe I can keep that in mind and bring that to bear as we move forward.”

He reflected on the new regional council and the diversity represented on it. He also notices a lot of youth and familiar faces.

“It's amazing, said Iannicca. Just look at that group. As I was sitting in the audience for the first time for 30 years, just as a normal citizen hoping to be nominated and elected, the first thing that hits you is the diversity. It's just marvelous.

“People like Rowena Santos. What a brilliant and young councillor. Dipika Damerla, that represents my Ward, in Ward 7, is the first person of colour on the City of Mississauga Council and born outside of Canada as well. The diversity they bring. I think we're almost up to 10 women. Half the council is women. I am a real believer that the diversity you have on council, the more you mimic those that you govern, by definition, you're going to lead a better community, you're going to have better outcomes because you're representative of the people that you're making decisions for.”

He discussed the councillors from Caledon noting they have “always punched above its weight in regional council and that tradition continues with the strong contingent that the Caledon folks have sent us to regional council this election.”

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Allan Thompson, said Iannicca. We spend a lot of time together on council. I don't know that you will find two brighter young women than Johanna Downey and Jennifer Innis. That having been said, I don't know that you will find a more dedicated individual on your council than Annette Groves. She has given her heart and soul to that role. And then to have Ian Sinclair come back, just a wise old sage. He's sort of our social conscious and he understands that you have to methodically put together a plan that works for everyone.”

He said a priority for council is to control growth and discuss where to properly have it.

“You know we have to grow, you know we have to prosper, you know we have to create jobs and taxes but at the same time let's not do it at the expense, as your council colleagues have told me many times, of the beautiful, rural, special character of Caledon, said Iannica.

“We have a job to do. I think it can be done with the work of all our Caledon councillors and the regional councillors and I think we have to take advantage of infrastructure, I think we have to build where servicing and infrastructure is and in so doing, perhaps intensify along those corridors, which means you can preserve the other 95 per cent of Caledon.”

Preserving Peel Regional Government and keeping it alive, policing, housing affordability, transportation and traffic congestion are among other issues he said they have to prioritize as they continue to pressing provincial and federal governments for a new deal and partnership.

“As much as the region gets 26 per cent of its money from the provincial governments, overall municipalities and regions only collect 10 cents on the dollar of all taxes, relative to provincial and federal governments but we own 60 per cent of all the roads and bridges, etc.”

“We need a new deal from our federal and provincial partners to get them to pay more of the hard costs of running a city because the property taxes alone cannot and has never really been able to do it.”

“You look at the case of Caledon. I always found it amazing. Caledon by itself is bigger than Brampton and Mississauga combined. You think of the challenge that you have in delivering services then try to do it on 10 cents of every dollar from your tax payers when you own 60 per cent of all the infrastructure.”