The race to be Melbourne’s next lord mayor is heating up, with candidates out and spruiking what they aim to deliver for the city.
Incumbent Lord Mayor Nick Reece wants to be elected in his own right, while Arron Wood – who missed out on the top job at the last election – is back again. Labor is running Phil Reed, the Greens have Roxane Ingleton and the Liberals are yet to pick a candidate, with independents Anthony Koutoufides and Jamal Hakim the wildcards in the pack.Nick Reece became lord mayor when Sally Capp stepped down and is seeking to be re-elected in his own right.“It’s a case of continuity with change,” Reece said.
His pick of Liberal councillor Roshena Campbell as his running mate for deputy mayor creates some interesting policy conundrums, as they have often voted differently in meetings.Reece has refused to reveal his donors until 40 days after the elections. He has said he would not accept donations from the tobacco or gambling industries or property developers within the city. He has not ruled out accepting donations from developers in other jurisdictions.
“People may say, ‘Well, what’s graffiti got to do with city safety?’ What we know from all of the research is that people’s perceptions of safety are lower when there’s tagging and graffiti on buildings.”Wood’s plan – announced before the recent ban on rental e-scooters – is to require operators to install cameras to prevent riding on footpaths and to reduce speeds to 12km/h.