Gossip Queen: Sam Newman tells of serious intent to run for office to make Melbourne better

CONTROVERSY prone Footy Show star Sam Newman says his plans to stand for Melbourne Lord Mayor were genuine and not a publicly stunt, and he was prepared to be trashed by naysayers for daring to run.

CONTROVERSY prone Footy Show star Sam Newman’s plans to stand for Melbourne Lord Mayor were genuine and not a publicly stunt.

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Newman has spoken about his intention to stand for public office, which was scuppered after Channel Nine surprised him on Wednesday with an assignment to cover the US Masters golf tournament in Atlanta.

The US trip will see him overseas on April 5, the day he was due to officially nominate for the mayoral race.

Sam Newman won’t be nominating for Lord Mayor of Melbourne as Channel 9 has sent him to cover the US Masters. Picture: Sarah Matray

“I had every intention to nominate myself for the Lord Mayor’s position. I had filled in the form, I had provide a 200 word statement which, by their regulations, outlined what I was on about. I had all the ducks in a row,” Newman said.

“The period I am away coincides almost identically with when you have to nominate and when you have to present yourself to the electoral officer in person.

“We took some advice as to whether I could do that via Skype while I was overseas or get a power of attorney to represent me but that was not possible.

“I can genuinely say I had gone a long way down the track to nominating. I am a bipartisan person, I have no political agenda, I have no agenda other than some very sensible, safe things that I think most people would embrace.

“I was very keen to contribute to the city I live in.”

Sam Newman was serious about running for Melbourne Lord Mayor. Picture: Sarah Matray

Newman said he was aware by nominating his colourful past would be dissected but was confident he would have attracted votes.

“I was warned about the naysayers trashing you, that they would examine all parts of your life, what you have done and who you have done it to and I was quite relaxed about that,” he said.

“But there were people who would have wanted to do a hatchet job on me and that goes with the territory. There are people who try to discredit you no matter what you do. I would never sell my soul or be intimidated by that.”

Newman had earlier outlined his policy priorities as being addressing the plight of the homeless in the CBD, scrapping 30km/h speed zones, installing countdown clocks for traffic lights, improving security in the city and launching graffiti squads to capture vandals defacing property.

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