Page 13: Ann Peacock spotted with Lord Mayor in waiting Nick Reece

A coffee date with the Lord Mayor in waiting just hours after Sally Capp resigned has sparked speculation Melbourne blue blood Ann Peacock is about to shake up the race for Town Hall.

The afternoon crowd at the Westin Hotel on Thursday may have caught a glimpse of the potential dream team set to take over Melbourne Town Hall.

Just hours after Sally Capp dropped the bombshell about stepping down as Lord Mayor, her deputy Nick Reece was spied having coffee with Ann Peacock, the much loved Melbourne business and charity identity, who many heavy-hitters want to see in the top job.

Oh, to be a scone on the dessert-tier at the high tea for that conversation.

Reece will officially take over from Capp when she departs in June. But he will need a running mate for the October council elections. Could that be Peacock if she decides not to have a crack for the main gig herself?

Ann Peacock is tapped into the high-powered networking circles across Melbourne.

The campaign to get her into the mayoral robes has already started in earnest.

Peacock has a contact book like no other and is tapped into the tightest of close-knit, high-powered networking circles across Melbourne.

So it was no surprise when a social media post by long-time friend and Channel 10 sports anchor Stephen Quartermain went viral.

The likes flooded in for Quartermain’s declaration on X.

Vote 1 🗳️ Ann Peacock @peacockann as the next Lord Mayor of Melbourne

— Stephen Quartermain (@Quartermain10) March 27, 2024

At this stage, pollster Gary Morgan is the only other definite starter in the 2024 Town Hall race.

On Tuesday, radio icon and former senator Derryn Hinch withdrew his candidacy, conceding he wouldn’t be able to raise the funds — between $250,000 and $500,000 — to run his campaign.

Late last year Peacock, who spent almost 30 years in media relations at Crown and is on the board of the Victoria Racing Club, revealed she had not ruled out a tilt at politics.

She said the need to give back to the community was ingrained in her from a young age by her parents, former Liberal leader Andrew Peacock and mother Lady Renouf.

“I have seriously thought about that idea (of) running for Lord Mayor, running in state politics, running in federal politics,” Peacock told the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Business Voice podcast.

Nicholas Reece will step into Sally Capp’s shoes from June, but will need a running mate for October’s election. Picture: David Caird

“I have still not given up the idea of fulfilling that hope to really give back to the community in an official way,” Peacock said.

But there was “nothing to report at this point in time.”

That was then.

The Town Hall top job is a tough gig, but it brings power and influence and having the Peacock name in the mix is a whole new ballgame.

Could Thursday’s meeting see the well versed Nicholas Reece running as Lord Mayor with the prestige and pull of Ann Peacock as deputy?

Reece and Peacock sure has a nice ring to it. The elegant Ann would bring a dazzle to the job not seen since former Lord Mayor John So turned up in a possum skin coat.