Sam Newman confirms serious interest in Melbourne lord mayor run

FOOTBALL personality Sam Newman has confirmed he is seriously considering a run for lord mayor. And he has had a crack at Melbourne City council for not doing enough to tackle homelessness.

FOOTBALL personality Sam Newman has confirmed he is seriously considering a run for lord mayor, and he’s criticised the Melbourne City council for not doing enough to tackle homelessness.

Newman rubbished claims that his possible tilt at Town Hall was a publicity gimmick.

PREVIOUSLY: Sam Newman considers running for Melbourne lord mayor

Newman ‘happy to have the discussion’ on Melbourne lord mayor role

“If someone who is partially educated like myself thought that running for the mayor would be some sort of selfish stunt to ingratiate myself for my own personal satisfaction or gratification, that would be just ridiculous,” he told the Herald Sun.

“What would be the point of a gimmick, because if you are suddenly called on to do it then where would you be?”

Sam Newman, who is seriously considering a run for lord mayor, poses for photos with fans outside his Docklands apartment. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Newman’s interest in the lord mayoral role was revealed by the Herald Sun last month, and on Friday he sounded even more like a serious candidate.

“I live in the city, and contribute heavily through taxes and rates to the city, so I have a vested interest in seeing that the city is as good as it can become,” he said.

Speaking near his home in Docklands, boat-owner Newman railed against a plan to build a tram bridge across the Yarra River to service the future Fishermans Bend urban renewal precinct.

“This would be an act of aesthetic vandalism against the Yarra’s Edge marina, a disgrace — every great city has a marina or waterway in front of it,” he said.

The Footy Show star revealed that some friends were encouraging him to run for lord mayor, but he had not spoken about the issue with mate and show host Eddie McGuire.

If he runs, Newman will face declared candidates Sally Capp from the Property Council, pollster Gary Morgan and former city councillor Ken Ong.

MORE: Property Council chief Sally Capp will run for Melbourne lord mayor

Sam Newman is seriously considering a run for Mayor of Melbourne. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Other possible lord mayoral aspirants include state Labor MP Jane Garrett, anti-violence campaigner Phil Cleary and Harrolds stores co-owner Mary Poulakis.

Newman, who lives in Docklands, said he was frustrated by the inability of the city council to solve the homelessness problem, despite all the co-operation with police and welfare agencies like the Salvation Army.

“Having unfortunate homeless people in unfortunate circumstances having to dwell in the city streets and doorways of the CBD is not acceptable to the people who live in the city,” he said.

“It’s not aesthetically pleasing to the people who visit it, and more importantly it’s not ideal for the people who find themselves in those circumstances who have to do it.”

The inability of Melbourne City council to solve the homelessness problem is frustrating Sam Newman. Picture: Nicole Garmston

Newman said that political correctness and vested interests were holding back real action on the issue, but if he became lord mayor he would work closely with the state government and police on fixing it.

“If Melbourne is going to portray itself quite rightly as one of the most liveable places on the planet it must be attractive to the people who live in it, who commute to it and work on a daily basis in the CBD,” he said.

A source close to the city council who is a sounding board for Newman said that the TV star would attract strong media attention and would poll well in Docklands while also pulling third party support through his charity work.

“This is not about being a stunt for Sam,” he said.

Nominations for the by-election caused by the resignation of Robert Doyle open on April 5 and close on April 10.

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@JMasanauskas