Long-serving councilor Nicholas Rees has officially announced his intention to stand for Lord Mayor in October's City of Melbourne local government elections.
Cr Rees was officially sworn in as the 105th Mayor of Melbourne on 2 July, vowing to be a “hands-on mayor”. He will serve in the role for several months until September 17, when the City of Melbourne enters an interim term ahead of an October election.
Cr Rees, who served an apprenticeship as a councilor from 2016 and served as deputy mayor under predecessor Sally Capp from 2020, is well prepared for the city's top job. I believe that.
And as he launches his campaign with the motto “Gets Good Done”, Cr Reece is now aiming to lead the city for a full four-year term, promising “big ideas” for Melbourne's future. fighting.
Cr Reece has not yet announced who will be his deputy mayoral candidate or team member candidate, but Cr Reece is wasting no time in saying he hopes to do so on October 25 if he is successful. revealed several initiatives.
These include the establishment of a Melbourne 3000 Committee, which will include up to 10 prominent Melburnians to “help develop, implement and realize key ideas” for the city.
The inaugural board will be chaired by Paul Guerra, CEO of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Chris Lucas, CEO of Lucas Restaurants, and Kylie Rodgers, CEO of the Victorian Racing Club and outgoing CEO of Marvel Stadium. Consists of.
“Melbourne is the best and fairest city in the world, but we cannot rest on our laurels. We know other cities are stepping up and we need to do the same.” said Cr Reece.
As Mayor, I look forward to mobilizing the people of our city and working closely with our leaders to seize all of Melbourne's opportunities in the years and decades to come.
In addition to a new board, Cr Reece promises to “lighten up Melbourne” under a new $10 million plan to boost tourism, night-time trading and improve safety across the city. .
The first part of the plan is the Light Your Laneway program, which will transform 20 alleyways in Melbourne with new designer decorative lighting “to keep hospitality industry business booming long after the sun goes down”.
The $8 million program, which will be rolled out over four years, will install catenary and wall washer lighting in selected lanes across the CBD.
Overhead lighting has already been installed on Bourke Street, Lonsdale Street and Little Collins Street, which Cr Reece said has changed the atmosphere and vibrancy of these streets after dark.
The second part of the Light Up Melbourne plan will deliver a new $2 million Brighter Buildings grant program to help light up some of Melbourne's most iconic buildings.
Under the competitive program, building owners and operators will be able to apply for grants to improve facade lighting designs to illuminate their buildings at night.
“Lighting up Melbourne will make this great city of ours even better and help our hospitality industry and famous nighttime economy continue to thrive,” Cr Reece said.
“Melbourne has some of the best historic and modern architecture in Australia. This plan will enhance the beauty and safety of the city at night and create an enchanting experience for visitors.”
“I want to make Melbourne cleaner and safer for everyone, making our streets and streets a place people want to visit at night and a place where everyone feels safe and welcome. ”
“This is all part of my plan to be a mayor who gets things done, delivering what matters to the people of Melbourne.” •
