Critics argued that the freeze was an unwarranted overreaction, and made it even more difficult for the city's homeless to find affordable housing.
[10] She initially voted for a declaration of Toronto Gay Pride Day in 1989, but later indicated that she did so only on procedural grounds, to reopen debate at a subsequent meeting.
[19] In January 1991, the city signed a contract for expansion with Castlepoint Development Corp.[20] Disero resigned as THC head on July 10, 1990, but remained a member of the commission.
[21] She initially opposed plans for Toronto to purchase lands owned by the Harbourfront foundation, but changed her mind on the issue in 1991.
[22] In 1994, she supported THC reforms brought forward by Mayor June Rowlands, including hiring an independent financial auditor and changing its name to the Toronto Port Authority.
[24] Former Member of Provincial Parliament Richard Johnston strongly criticized this suggestion in a report on the Islands released later in the year.
[27] Disero ran for the position of Mayor of Toronto in the 1991 municipal election but dropped out to back June Rowlands after her campaign failed to gain momentum.
[34] She also opposed plans by the federal government of Brian Mulroney to privatize two terminals at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
[36] Disero almost lost her council seat in 1992 following a private legal challenge from academic David Rayside, who argued that she had overspent in her 1991 campaign.
[37] Presiding justice Alvin Rosenberg initially ruled against Disero, and declared her council seat vacant on April 7, 1992.
[40] In December 1991, Disero unsuccessfully tried to overturn a bylaw which permitted the construction of publicly financed alternative housing with fewer parking spaces than were required for market condominiums.
[42] Disero was a frequent rival to budget chief Tom Jakobek in this period, and joined with Barbara Hall and other members of the council's left-wing to remove him from his position in 1992.
[43] In seeking his dismissal, Hall argued that Jakobek had exercised undue influence to push a questionable $100,000 orchestra grant through council.
She said that the city needed to impose significant wage cuts, or introduce unpaid leave days, in order to remain solvent.
[46] In the early 1990s, right-wing journalist Judi McLeod lodged a formal complaint with the police accusing Disero of being linked to the Mafia, and of holding a conflict of interest in her role as vice-chairman of the Toronto Harbour Commission due to a personal relationship.
[48] In 1994, Disero co-sponsored a resolution which would have allowed police to disperse crowds of more than three people who were seen as ""accosting, frightening, intimidating, obstructing or threatening" to others on the street.
[49] She considered running for Oakwood in the 1995 provincial election, but later stood aside to allow Mike Colle to win the Liberal nomination.
Disero argued that the plebiscite could damage the city's position if the turnout was low, or if it showed little opposition to the Harris government's plan.
[56] Disero was re-elected without difficulty in the 2000 municipal election, after receiving endorsements from Mayor Mel Lastman and the Toronto Police Association.
[60] She was also appointed co-chair of Task Force 2010, which examined options to divert the city's waste to recycling and composting programs.
[61] She argued that the cost of waste management could more than double in ten years, and called for greater investment from the federal and provincial governments.
[62] The task force held a series of public meetings, and in June 2001 submitted a report to divert all residential garbage to recycling and composting by 2010.
[66] Soon after her appointment, she recommended that cheery messages such as "Welcome aboard" and "Have a nice day" be piped through TTC speakers to improve morale among passengers.
[74] She also returned to City Hall in 2003 as business development officer for Light Heat Cool Ltd., a new-technology waste-disposal firm.
[78] Running on a platform of slowing down development, Disero defeated incumbent Patrick Darte by 4,169 votes to 2,743 in the October 22, 2018 election, becoming the first woman to hold the position of Lord Mayor of Niagara-on-the-Lake.