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Carlton champion Anthony Koutoufides has declared he will run for Melbourne lord mayor.
The Herald Sun has confirmed that the former AFL star, who played 278 games for the Blues, will run in the October local council election and challenge Lord Mayor Nick Reece for the city’s top job.
Rumours have been swirling for weeks that Koutoufides – best known as ‘Kouta’ – would enter the mayoral race, but he had refused to confirm his candidacy until now.
In a statement, Koutoufides, 51, said the “time to act is now”, as he kicked off his campaign by unveiling a number of his key policies.
“Your voices need to be heard and the final quarter has just started,” he said.
“Vote for a better Melbourne.”
Anthony Koutoufides played 278 games for Carlton.
Koutoufides – who is running on an independent ticket – said Melbourne’s CBD was in “utter crisis”, pledging to “make the city vibrant again” if elected.
“In our lovely city, many businesses are closing down, residents currently do not feel safe, shop fronts are vacant, government workers have not returned to the city to work since the pandemic and the current economic and cost-of-living crisis has increased homelessness in the CBD,” he said in the statement.
“The pandemic has been over for a long time, so our first priority is to bring government and corporate workers back to the city.
“We will work with the state government to introduce new laws that government and corporate workers must work at least 4 days a week in their office to enliven the city.”
He said to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, he would move to “fast track planning permits” for more affordable housing and “incentivise developers and landlords who want to convert office space to residential space”.
“Our city needs a range of accommodation options and (we) will ensure that those sleeping rough on our streets won’t be left behind,” he said.
“They will always have a permanent, safe and secure home.”
According to the statement, Koutoufides will lead ‘Team Kouta’ – described as a “high-performance team” – as its “captain”, having led Carlton from 2004 to 2006.
But no mention was made of his running mate.
The Herald Sun is yet to speak to Koutoufides, who is currently travelling in remote Western Australia, with his team sending out the statement on his behalf.
The Herald Sun understands that Intaj Khan, a flamboyant former councillor at Wyndham City Council, will be a part of ‘Team Kouta’, but his exact role on the ticket remains unclear.
Mr Khan, a wealthy property land developer, announced he would run for Melbourne lord mayor in 2018, but was ruled ineligible because he was still serving as a Wyndham councillor.
He was convicted and fined $26,000 in 2018 on eight charges for failing to disclose companies “in which he held office during the return period” and “in which he held a financial interest” during his time on Wyndham City Council.
Koutoufides now joins Mr Reece, former deputy lord mayor Arron Wood, Labor’s Phil Reed, the Greens’ Roxane Ingleton, pollster Gary Morgan and current councillor Jamal Hakim in the mayoral race, with fewer than 75 days to go.
Senior Liberal sources last month confirmed the party will endorse a mayoral candidate for the first time in its history after years of “political control” by Labor and the Greens at a local council level, but the party has not made any formal announcement.
Only last weekend, Mr Reece posted a photo to Instagram showing him and Koutoufides smiling side-by-side ahead of Carlton’s demoralising loss to Hawthorn.
The 191cm powerhouse was inducted into the Australian Hall of Fame in 2014, was also a two-time All Australian and was named in both the Greek and Italian teams of the century because of his parent’s heritage.
Born in Melbourne, Koutoufides grew up in Thomastown and played his junior footy with Lalor.
After footy, he appeared on the TV series Gladiators as Kouta, described as a “uniquely unparalleled athlete”.
“Gifted with incredible powers, the Greek gods have seen fit to raise Kouta up to be a member of their select group,’’ the show’s promotion said.
In 2006, he won the fifth season on Dancing With The Stars with Natalie Lowe.
Koutoufides married wife Susie in 2002 and they have three children – Lukas, Jamie and Monique.
Most recently, he tried his hand at acting as a prison guard in period crime drama Vendetta 19, set in Pentridge Prison.
Koutoufides is also the founder of fitness business Kouta Fit.