New lord mayor to target ‘completely unacceptable’ safety issues, cleanliness

He besides thanked Capp for her vigor and “extraordinary drive” during her six years successful the role.

Councillor Rohan Leppert congratulated Reece and praised him for his committedness to the city.

“I cognize you volition not beryllium wasting a infinitesimal successful this role,” helium said.

Reece successful 2020 arsenic lawman lord mayor.Credit: Joe Armao

Reece told The Age the cardinal things that needed to beryllium fixed were metropolis information and cleanliness.

“The world is that during those years of lockdown we did spot a existent spike successful tagging astir the metropolis and conscionable a diminution successful wide cleanliness,” helium said. “It’s a existent occupation that we request to get connected apical of.”

The council’s astir caller fund allocated much than $100 cardinal to metropolis cleanliness – treble the magnitude spent antecedently – but Reece said much indispensable beryllium done.

He wants to prioritise achromatic spots astir the metropolis specified the Swan Street span – a people for taggers that helium says is filthy and looks awful.

“City information volition beryllium of the highest precedence to me, due to the fact that I consciousness that everything other follows … if radical don’t consciousness harmless successful the city, past it truly does bounds your quality to bash a batch of the different large things you privation to bash astir the city.

“The statistic are precise clear: Melbourne is simply a harmless city, but we tin bash better.”

Reece would not beryllium drawn connected however helium would amended information but said it would beryllium a multipronged effort.

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“There are immoderate parts of the metropolis which are presently wholly unacceptable,” helium said. “Elizabeth Street southbound is simply a bully illustration of that. There’s immoderate different pockets arsenic good that we truly request to target.”

He besides wants to absorption connected making Melbourne greener and said Capp’s favored task – the landmark “Greenline” trail – would besides beryllium connected his agenda.

“Our caller fund enactment successful spot a semipermanent backing program for Greenline,” helium said. “So the City of Melbourne present has a assured pathway guardant for the transportation of that project. Greenline is happening.”

However, Reece did not person details of however Greenline – a four-kilometre linear parkland on the Yarra’s northbound slope – would beryllium paid for, the task having been “rephased” successful the budget and lacking backing from the authorities and national governments.

When asked whether it could beryllium funded retired of the council’s aboriginal money announced past week, helium said the money had strict parameters.

“[The project] volition spell done the accustomed fund processes that are held astatine municipality hallway astir budget-making, truthful successful effect that volition beryllium a determination for aboriginal councils.”

Reece grew up successful Ringwood successful Melbourne’s outer eastbound and started his vocation successful authorities moving for erstwhile premiers John Brumby and Steve Bracks. He was besides a elder advisor to premier curate Julia Gillard.

Despite this Labor background, some times that Reece has tally for assembly it has been arsenic an independent.

Reece was lawman lord politician since 2018 and was the City of Melbourne’s readying lead. Credit: Eddie Jim

“I personally consciousness that I tin service the metropolis champion by moving and serving arsenic an independent,” helium said. “That doesn’t mean I’m not arrogant to person served a Labor premier curate of Australia and 2 Labor premiers.”

Reece was 1 of the founders of men’s foundation Movember, which helium says is “the archetypal foundation unicorn” raising $1.5 cardinal for men’s health, and helium helped found the Big Issue mag – sold by radical experiencing homelessness – successful Australia.

He was lawman lord politician from 2018 and held the relation of readying pb – which helium jokingly described arsenic “how to suffer friends and annoy people” – alongside moving arsenic manager of endeavor strategy astatine the University of Melbourne.

Last year, Reece, his wife, Felicity Pantelidis – lawman main enforcement of instrumentality steadfast Maurice Blackburn – and their 3 daughters moved to Carlton, which is wrong the City of Melbourne’s boundaries.