Hazel McCallion
"Hurricane Hazel": There's No Stopping Her
Mayor Hazel McCallion is a phenomenon.
She has been elected Mayor of the City of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada for 11 terms, outlasting 8 Prime Ministers. Her list of accomplishments on the City Hall website is as long as the constitution itself (http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/cityhall/mayor).
She is 88 years old, was a former professional hockey player in Montreal (at the time, for $5 a game), and can still stick-handle a hockey puck like the best of them. Mayor McCallion's city is debt-free, and has $700 million in reserves. How does she do it?
“We run the city like a business.” 
In an interview, Hazel explains, ““The city's position of being debt-free can be attributed to our dedication to responsible and forward-looking fiscal management. This concept is central to our strategic plan and our management processes. But in a word, we run the city like a business, and adhere to a pay-as-you-go approach.”
She goes on to explain this approach, in planning for expenditures, and saving for the unexpected. Hazel mentions how it is incredible that Mississauga's growth has also factored in a better quality of life for its residents, and good services at a reasonable cost. She was instrumental in helping build a major sports complex and arts center in the city. Hazel's leadership over the years is what is incredible - to anyone who has seen her in action.
In 1991, she was the first mayor in a Canadian city to share her operating budget with the city's residents, for their feedback. She has a 93% voter approval rating, and says she hasn't retired because she doesn't know what she would do. She has even been recognized at the international level – having been awarded Germany's Cross of the Order of Merit for her role in bringing German companies to Canada.
Hazel is up for any challenge. In an interview last year, she says, “I enjoy the challenges now that we are facing with the economy.”
She makes a promise of her commitment to service, saying, “If my health remains the way it is, which is pretty good, I will offer myself to the people of Mississauga... health is the key."
Mayor Hazel McCallion is an inspiration for us all.
When asked of her only regrets personally in her 31 years being mayor, she jokingly answers, “I've never been in a music video”. Thanks to a feature now posted on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fY79KbCptTo with over 1.6 million views, even that goal has been accomplished.
