Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp’s short first open council meeting

SALLY Capp’s first open council meeting as Melbourne Lord Mayor lasted all of 28 minutes as a new era began at Town Hall.

SALLY Capp’s first open council meeting as Melbourne Lord Mayor lasted all of 28 minutes as a new era began at Town Hall.

Cr Capp’s first public session was a procedural affair with five mostly administrative items passed unanimously and no dissenting voices.

The city’s 104th lord mayor began the meeting vowing to work with everybody to deliver “great outcomes for Melbourne”.

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Sally Capp after she was sworn in as Lord Mayor. Picture: AAP/Julian Smith

She thanked her deputy Cr Arron Wood for his leadership during the “transitional period” of the past six months.

Cr Capp opened with an affirmation of the new councillor code of conduct which was introduced in the aftermath of her predecessor Robert Doyle’s sexual harassment scandal.

The meeting itself was a series of routine items. One confidential report — the spending of $8300 to charities and public causes — was brought into open session.

The public part of the meeting then ended so that councillors could consider six confidential items.

Cr Capp was elected earlier this month, defeating 13 other candidates in the postal ballot.

The former Property Council executive gained 25 per cent of the primary vote and defeated ALP-backed nominee Jennifer Yang 53-47 after preferences.

Cr Capp’s first major decision in the $189,284-a-year position after being sworn in on Thursday was to scrap the mayoral car, instead opting for public transport, her own car, or travelling by foot or bicycle.

The 50-year-old lawyer replaces Robert Doyle, the city’s longest-serving mayor, who resigned from office in February following the allegations levelled by three women including two councillors.

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