Lord Mayor Sally Capp will take a two-week break in Italy for a family holiday planned several months ago

LORD Mayor Sally Capp will take a two-week break very soon after being elected, with family the key reason for the overseas sojourn.

LORD Mayor Sally Capp will take a family holiday just weeks after being elected to Town Hall.

Cr Capp’s trip to Italy was booked months before she decided to run for lord mayor after the resignation of Robert Doyle.

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Lord Mayor Sally Capp and husband Andrew Sutherland (husband) with sons Will (left) and Nick. Picture: Nicole Garmston

She will be away when it is expected the City of Melbourne will release details of campaign donations made to candidates for the May lord mayoral by-election.

Cr Capp, who is the ex-boss of the state Property Council, promised not to accept donations from developers.

The Lord Mayor will leave on Friday for the two week vacation.

“My first five weeks in office, as well as the weeks of the campaign, have been the most intense in my life and incredibly rewarding,” she said.

“But I am looking forward to a break to refresh and reset.”

“This family holiday has been planned over the past year as it is an extended family reunion.”

Cr Capp said it would be the last chance for her husband Andrew Sutherland and sons Will and Nick to spend quality time together before Will went to study in the US.

“In the meantime I’ll be closely monitoring City of Melbourne matters,” she said.

Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood with his family.

Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood will act as Lord Mayor during Cr Capp’s absence — a role he had when Mr Doyle stepped aside from his position and subsequently resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal.

Cr Wood, who has just returned from a family holiday, was strongly praised for the way he handled the acting role during a time of great upheaval for the council.

He had considered running for lord mayor but decided against it.

Cr Capp and other councillors will have some big decisions to make in coming months, including whether to extend the contract of city council chief executive Ben Rimmer.

@JMasanauskas