Mayoral candidate Jamal Hakim reveals his running mate for City Hall is renowned author and CBD resident Esther Anatolytis, highlighting the importance of the 3000 postcode in shaping the region's future. emphasized.
A “democratic, welcoming and prosperous city” is the vision of current CR Jamal Hakim, who announced his candidacy for mayor on August 2, ahead of October's Melbourne city election.
Celebrating the city's diversity was at the heart of the former Midsummer Festival board member's City Hall campaign, vowing that Team Hakim would “shape a future for Melbourne that puts people over politics”.
It's a story that resonates strongly with Esther Anatolytis, considered one of Australia's most influential arts, media and urbanism champions and who joined Team Hakim as a deputy mayoral candidate.
If elected, Anatolytis, who has long contributed to Greek society, will make history as the first Greek-Australian deputy mayor of the largest Greek city outside of Greece.
The Neos Kosmos 50th anniversary magazine, which she also wrote, featured Ms Anatolytis among the 50 most prominent Greek-Australians of the time, and looking at her CV it's easy to see why. can.
Ms Anatolytis' career as a leader in arts, media and urban planning began in ethnic broadcasting when she ran the National Ethnic and Multicultural Broadcasting Council, and later worked at SBS Radio Melbourne.
In Melbourne, she has served as CEO of Express Media, Emerging Writers Festival (of which she is the founder), Craft Victoria, SYN Media 90.7FM, Regional Arts Victoria and Melbourne Fringe.
She was an AFR 100 Women of Influence finalist, worked on cultural precincts and master plans across Australia, and was the first vice chair of the Contemporary Arts Precinct, the social enterprise behind Collingwood Yard.
Ms Anatolytis works with local authorities, including the City of Melbourne, on arts precinct and urban planning projects, and is a prolific author, critic and editor of several books.
She has served on a number of government policy and arts committees including ACMI, Regional Arts Council of Australia, Arts Industry Council of Victoria, and is currently a member of the Governing Council of the National Gallery of Australia, and the Australian Republic Movement. serves as co-chair of the , Associate Professor at RMIT School of Art.
As a multilingual “passionate champion of multiculturalism in Australia”, she advises both the Hellenic Museum and the Greek Orthodox communities of Melbourne and Victoria, and has served on the board of the Antipodes Festival .
She is also a proud member of Melbourne's queer and disabled communities and lives with a rare brain condition similar to epilepsy on the migraine spectrum.
A number of people have approached Ms Anatolytis in the past to run for Melbourne City, but Cr Hakim accepted her to join the team as someone who “understands the essence of Melbourne”. He said he was excited about it.
Anatolytis told CBD News that Team Hakim's message of a democratic, welcoming and prosperous city was one she wanted to be a part of.
“I'm someone who lives and works in Melbourne and loves Melbourne. I've been here for over 20 years and I'm used to representative governance,” Ms Anatolytis said.
The evolution of any city is beautifully cyclical, and the cycle grows and expands. Melbourne's success is largely based on multiculturalism.
And that's exactly the foundation Ms. Anatolytis said she wants to build on if elected on the back of Congress' highly successful 3000 ZIP code policy in the 1990s.
“I want to empower the council team to figure out, 'What does the future of postcode 3000 look like?'” “It was a powerful strategy,” she said.
“I love the strategic and innovative work that was done many years ago to create an internationally renowned Melbourne, with beautiful urban forests, alleyways, small businesses and small galleries. ”
“What does the future hold for the 3000 postcode? And the next chapter is not just talking about housing, but how we can support artists, creatives and community organizations to afford to do important work within our municipality. We also have to talk about it.”
“To use the old term 'placemaking', I truly feel part of an urban village, and my neighbors are people who actively want to keep Melbourne an urban village. It's a city of many villages, and I love it and am committed to strengthening it. ” •
