Lord Mayor Sally Capp names uni executive Nicholas Reece as deputy running mate
Big projects are what Melbourne will need as it begins its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, Lord Mayor Sally Capp says. And she’s announced her running mate.
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UPDATE
LABOR Party figure Nicholas Reece has been confirmed as Lord Mayor Sally Capp’s deputy running mate for next month’s council election.
A sitting City of Melbourne councillor, Mr Reece was a senior adviser to former PM Julia Gillard and a Victorian ALP secretary and campaign director.
A co-founder of charity Movember, he’s currently director of strategy, policy and projects at Melbourne University, and appears regularly on Sky News as a political commentator.
Ms Capp has also confirmed that councillor Kevin Louey will be the team’s lead council candidate.
Both Mr Reece and Mr Louey were part of former lord mayor Robert Doyle’s team at the 2016 election.
Other team members are lawyer Roshena Campbell; RMIT law professor Mark McMillan; architect Tania Davidge; Cherry Bar owner James Young; and international relations expert Tina Kuek.
The Lord Mayor said she was proud to be leading a team of experienced and passionate people “who want to work with me to rebuild Melbourne after the economic devastation caused by the COVID pandemic”.
“The team represents the breadth of the talent, diversity and character of our great city,” she said.
Ms Capp previously declared she has the bold vision to continue her reign at Town Hall and has warned changing leaders now would be too risky.
Ms Capp is about to embark on the political fight of her life as she faces challenges from her deputy, an official Labor Party ticket, the Greens and even a high-profile nightclub owner.
“Now, more than ever, strong, determined, experienced leadership is needed to take our city forward,”she told the Sunday Herald Sun.
“Now is not the time to take a risk with the leadership of our city.”
Ms Capp said that big projects and job-creation were needed for Melbourne as it recovered from the coronavirus pandemic.
Greenline — a scaled-down version of New York’s High Line linear park — will be central to her policy platform for the October 24 City of Melbourne election.
The Lord Mayor had been criticised within and outside council after she campaigned on the ambitious High Line idea during the 2018 lord mayoral by-election.
“The Greenline has been hindered and obstructed for petty political reasons, and now is a time when we need to fast-track these city-shaping projects,” Ms Capp said.
“I will deliver the Greenline for the benefit of Melburnians now and decades into the future.”
The proposed trail will link green spaces from the city’s northwest, through the CBD and on to Port Phillip Bay.
“Re-invigorating the Yarra River’s North Bank as part of the Greenline project will stimulate our city’s economy, improve liveability for locals and provide a major boost to businesses,” the Lord Mayor said.
Ms Capp, whose previous job was head of the Property Council of Australia’s Victorian division, blamed problems delivering big projects on Town Hall “culture”.
“In my two years as Lord Mayor, I have seen constant underspending on infrastructure projects and consistent delays in their delivery,” she said.
“The COVID pandemic has severely impacted our budget at Town Hall, and we need to deliver all our infrastructure projects on time, on budget and with less impact on local residents and businesses...because our community deserves better.”
Ms Capp, who is married to property consultant Andrew Sutherland and has with two adult children, was a commercial lawyer for 10 years and had senior roles at KPMG and ANZ.
She was Victoria’s first female agent-general for the UK and Europe, chief executive of the Committee for Melbourne, and the f irst woman board member of Collingwood Football Club.
“My grandfather had a millinery business in Flinders Lane, and my mother started her working life in the rag trade further up the lane,” she said.
“I have lived, studied and worked in Melbourne for most of my life.”
Ms Capp said the Lord Mayor job was always fast-paced and challenging, but the pandemic crisis had made it even more complex.
“Each morning I wake up to texts and voicemails from business owners who are grappling with the devastating impacts of the restrictions and lockdowns,” she said.
“They are working around the clock to save their business and remain viable until restrictions start easing. I’m deeply affected by the devastation and desperation so many in our community are dealing with on a daily basis.”
The Lord Mayor wouldn’t comment on her challengers like Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood, who has accused her of not delivering for the city.
Ms Capp said that everything she had done in business beforehand had prepared her for the job.
“Now, I am bringing all my life experience to the economic challenge that is before us,” she said.
“I have the experience and ideas, energy and passion to get the job done.”
Ms Capp said that in the two years since she was elected the city’s economic activity grew from $94 billion to $104 billion a year.
“Economic growth of this magnitude...happens through deliberate actions, commitment and understanding of what is required for economic growth,” she said.
“As Lord Mayor, I talk with many business owners, workers, residents and visitors to our city every day. I deeply understand that our city needs a strong economy to thrive.”
Some have been critical about the slow progress of the $250 million Queen Victoria Market redevelopment, but Ms Capp said she was pleased with the work that had been done.
“This project was stuck in deadlock and delay when I was elected into the role, and now dozens of jobs have been created through the $30 million heritage restoration of the outdoor sheds,” she said.
“There’s a huge amount of work to do on this project, but I am committed to delivering an upgrade that protects what we love about the market, but helps it remain functional for traders and shopper for decades to come.”
Ms Capp is also pushing for the inner city free tram zone to be extended so that visitors to Melbourne can have easier access to attractions on the edge of town.
Others in the race for the keys to Town Hall are nightclub king Nick Russian, pollster Gary Morgan, previous candidate Jennifer Yang, and ALP veteran Phil Reed.
Nominations for the state-wide elections close on Tuesday.
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