Nicholas Reece set to become Melbourne’s 105th Lord Mayor

Husband, father, former Labor insider, Carlton tragic – as Sally Capp hangs up her robes, meet the man set to become Melbourne’s new Lord Mayor.

For the first time in six years, Melbourne will soon be led by a new Lord Mayor.

Next Monday, on July 1, Deputy Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece is set to be presented with the mayoral robes and gold chains to become the 105th Lord Mayor of Melbourne. 

Outgoing Lord Mayor Sally Capp announced in late March with “mixed emotions” that not only would she not contest the mayoral election in October, but that she would step down in June to “seek new opportunities”.

Her timing means Mr Reece, who has served as Ms Capp’s loyal deputy for almost four years, will avoid a by-election and step into the top job – at least for the next four months.

There had long been talk that Ms Capp would resign less than six months out from the election as part of a succession deal cut with Mr Reece.

Sally Capp will hand over the top job to Nicholas Reece. Picture: Jason Edwards

The father of three and former Labor insider arrived at Town Hall in 2016, serving a term as a councillor before teaming up with Ms Capp in 2020 when she ran for Lord Mayor for the second time.

The pair went on to win the election with 31 per cent of the primary vote. 

“I want to be Lord Mayor because I’m just absolutely thrilled by the opportunity to help Melbourne be everything it can be,” Mr Reece said in March, after Ms Capp’s announcement.

“I’ve spent my life in public service and community service. I’ve done my apprenticeship at Town Hall as a councillor and as Deputy Lord Mayor.

“I’m a husband, I’m a dad. I live, work and am raising my family here in the inner city.

“I’m absolutely passionate about Melbourne. We live in the best city in the world.”

The 50-year-old is widely expected to run for Lord Mayor in October with the benefit of incumbency, but he is yet to make any formal announcement to that effect.

Mr Reece said he was thrilled by the opportunity to make Melbourne everything it can be. Picture: David Caird

The mayoral field is still taking shape with only pollster Gary Morgan and Labor’s Phil Reed definite starters, with the Greens yet to name their candidate.

Mr Reece – a former lawyer and journalist – is no stranger to politics, spending years working as a senior adviser to Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Victorian premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby.

He also served as the state secretary and campaign director of the Victorian branch of the Labor Party ahead of the 2010 state election.

But after leaving Ms Gillard’s office in 2013, he joined the University of Melbourne to become a principal fellow at the Melbourne School of Government.

Mr Reece is also the former chairman of global men’s health charity Movember and one of the original “Mo Bros”.

And for 10 years, he was a founding director for the street newspaper The Big Issue.

During this council term, he has served as the lead for the city planning portfolio and the deputy lead for the finance, governance and risk, and heritage portfolios.

Mr Reece has worked for Julia Gillard, Steve Bracks and John Brumby.

In recent years, as Deputy Lord Mayor, he has been a key player as the council voted on numerous controversial issues.

In February, he held the deciding vote during a tense debate at Town Hall over a motion on the Israel-Gaza conflict that had been described by some as “anti-Israel”.

With a 5-5 deadlock, he voted against the motion to cries of “shame” within the council chamber, describing it as containing “too many red flags”.

“I think it will inflame, not heal, the tensions in the city,” he told the meeting.

“It will make a really challenging situation worse, not better.”

And in May 2021, he voted to support a supervised injecting room in the CBD around the time rumours swirled that a centre would be located opposite Flinders Street Station.

“We’ve got to do something,” he said at the time, adding that one of his family members had battled with addiction.

“We’ve got to have some informed intervention.”

Mr Reece said cleaning up the city and removing graffiti would be his priorities.

Mr Reece has also backed Ms Capp’s pet project, the Greenline, helping to turn the sod in May as the $316m project gets underway.

But in March, Mr Reece flagged that cleaning up the city and removing graffiti would be his priorities as he takes office.

“Safety is obviously always a number one priority for the City of Melbourne, and also keeping our city clean, and bringing back the buzz to Melbourne,” he said.

Before Mr Reece can be sworn in as Lord Mayor, the council must pass a resolution that an election to fill the vacancy left by Ms Capp “not be held”.

But there is no indication this will not occur.

Growing up in Melbourne’s outer east, Mr Reece now lives in Carlton with his wife and three daughters – and is a tragic Carlton supporter.