Three sitting mayors were defeated: June Rowlands in Toronto, Fergy Brown, in York, and Bruce Sinclair of Etobicoke.

On Metro Toronto Council it was a victory for the left as the New Democratic Party (NDP) faction grew from six to nine members.

As a consequence of Jack Layton's failure to win the mayoralty as an official NDP candidate in the 1991 election, Hall preferred to run without a party label and included prominent Liberals such as George Smitherman on her campaign team.

Her decision to ban the Barenaked Ladies, a rock band, from performing at Nathan Phillips Square because their name might be considered sexist was seen as both pandering to political correctness and evidence that she was out of touch with contemporary culture.

Her allegedly slow response to a riot on Yonge Street following the acquittal of the police who beat Rodney King also made her appear out of touch.