Nick Reece picks Roshena Campbell as his running mate

Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece has made somewhat of a shock selection for his deputy mayoral candidate at the upcoming City of Melbourne local government elections in current councillor and Liberal Party member Roshena Campbell.

Cr Reece had made it widely known that he was seeking to run with a “unity ticket” at the council elections and had been working to secure a well-known Liberal candidate to join his team.

On July 28, he revealed that person was Roshena Campbell, who ran second on Sally Capp’s councillor ticket at the 2020 elections, with Cr Reece running as the former Lord Mayor’s deputy on the same team.

However, it was during the last council term that the political divide between Cr Capp and Cr Campbell became increasing apparent on issues such as the council’s transport strategy, which she has previously branded as “anti-car measures”.

Cr Campbell’s continued criticism of the bike lane rollout saw her replaced in her role as deputy chair of the council’s transport portfolio, while she also opposed Cr Capp and Cr Reece’s positions on a range of other issues.

In 2023, she went on to unsuccessfully run for the Liberal Party in a federal by-election in the seat of Aston, and many had expected that she would be keeping her options open at the upcoming City of Melbourne elections.

However, at an announcement in Carlton on July 28, where Cr Reece also vowed to double the number of CCTV cameras across the city if elected, it was Cr Campbell who appeared alongside him.

While running as an independent, Cr Reece is a long-time Labor man having worked as a senior advisor for former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, as well as for Victorian Premiers Steve Bracks and John Brumby.

Despite their differences on some issues, he said that Roshena Campbell was someone he had a great deal of respect for and that she was “smart, diligent, and always works hard for the people and local businesses of Melbourne.”

“I’m honoured that she has agreed to be my candidate for Deputy Lord Mayor, and I look forward to working closely with her to help make this amazing city of ours even better and fairer,” Cr Reece said.

With a “track record of delivering” initiatives such as Melbourne Money during COVID, boosting the city’s events calendar, and getting the council’s budget back into surplus, Cr Campbell said she knew how important it was to invest in the community.

“Melbourne has given me so much and it is a privilege to be able to give back. I am running with Nick Reece because I believe that working together, we will deliver the best outcomes for Melbourne’s residents and traders,” Cr Campbell said.

“As a university student, I fell in love with this city and made it my home. As a barrister and councillor, I’ve spent my entire working life listening to and fighting for people.” 

As the daughter of small business owners, I know government can make a real difference to whether businesses thrive. I am committed to doing everything I can to make our city’s economy fire.

Cr Reece also used the opportunity to reveal Cr Campbell as his running mate to pledge that if elected as Lord Mayor, he would install an additional 200 cameras across Melbourne “to supercharge the city’s network of Safe City Cameras to help keep residents, traders, and visitors safe.”

The $13.65m investment will almost double the number of cameras in the city and be the largest ever City of Melbourne investment in the network. 

Working closely with Victoria Police to identify the exact camera locations, the new high-tech cameras will prioritise city Hot Spots and Black Spots – areas wherever crime rates and anti-social behaviour are at their highest, or busy retail areas where there is a gap in the network with no CCTV coverage. 

The Safe City Camera Program will also be extended to parts of the city that have not had CCTV previously including busy retail strips and high traffic areas in Southbank, Docklands, Carlton, West Melbourne, North Melbourne, and Kensington. •