AFL Great Anthony Koutoufides sets sights on Melbourne’s Lord Mayor role
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
Carlton FC great Anthony Koutoufides last week announced that he would run as an independent in Melbourne’s upcoming mayoral race.
The AFL legend – ‘Kouta’ to his fans – will have a full agenda if he succeeds in being elected the city’s next lord mayor.
Koutoufides shirks from the accolade of ‘AFL legend.’
“No, I’m not a legend mate…we are all brothers,” Koutoufides said.
Running for lord mayor of Australia’s grandest city is “a big call” which the AFL great acknowledges.
“Last year wasn’t great timing, a few months ago I got asked again, and I thought about it, then spoke to my wife, to my friends, and they all said, ‘Just go for it.’” Kouta said to Neos Kosmos.
Kouta’s love for Melbourne runs deep, he wants to make the grand dame, “the most liveable city in the world again.”
“I’m from Melbourne, my parents and grandparents all lived in Melbourne, and we all loved this city.
“I was born and bred here, and it was the greatest city in the world so I am sad to see what’s happening with it now.”
“Anyone who visited from anywhere in Australia, or overseas, would have walked in and gone ‘My goodness me, how good is this?’ but they would think twice about saying that right now,” Koutoufides said.

Crime – a major issue for Melbourne’s CBD
One of Koutoufides’s foci is crime, and according to the Crimes Statistic Agency there was a 7.7 per cent increase in ‘criminal incidences’ in Victoria in 12 months.
Melbourne’s CBD has seen a worrying 11.3 per cent increase – a total of 27,835 recorded crimes. The two largest alleged crime types were ‘crimes against the person’ which includes violence, sexual violence, and theft, and the lowest were drug offences.
While there are fewer crimes than in 2017, even less than in 2021, however the brazenness and violent nature of the crimes are more evident.
Koutoufides loves Melbourne because “it’s been so special” for him and his family and he wants to “make a difference” .
“I want to say that at least I’ve tried to help the city get back to becoming the most liveable city in the world.”
The AFL legend relayed how he walked through the city today and felt “uneasy”. The unease he said increases for him “at night”.
“There are certainly issues, and more happening at night after 10:00 pm” he said suggesting that people fear walking around the city at night.
Koutoufides has also canvassed “business owners and people working and living around the city” who all “say the same thing”.
Unlike other jurisdictions in the world, such as the United States, local governments in Australia do not run police forces, so what can a Lord Mayor do about crime?

“I will speak to Victoria Police first, and if they can’t do anything, then I will look at alternatives like extra security people to make people feel safer,” Koutoufides told Neos Kosmos.
“Growing up here, seventies, eighties, nineties – I walked around the city with a smile.
“I used to go out to bars, nightclubs – we had the most incredible time.
“Now, I am concerned for my kids if they are out in the city on a weekend – it shouldn’t be that way.
More arts and culture, fashion and sport events to bring life to city
It’s not just more policing that Koutoufides wants, “I want to bring more into the city – events and festivals”.
Koutoufides is committed to the Greek Antipodes Festival, and Chinese New Year, all ethnic festivals, and wants more more “music, art, fashion, and sport” in the city.
“We need to bring it all back, everything we’re renowned for, we need it back.”
Koutoufides took the bumps and jolts in AFL, but politics is another game – it can be brutal, and changes in policies can have unforeseen consequences. Thick skin is essential, for criticism can be cruel.
The former footballer is not fazed. He said that when he first started playing, it took him three and a half years “to become a regular senior player, you know, 20 odd games, three and a half years into your career wasn’t a great start.”

The death of his father, at a young age in 1998, impacted on the AFL legend. “It was probably the most difficult time of my life.”
“I’ve been through tough times – the most difficult time was when I lost my father – life is never easy.”
“We all love our dad– I certainly did – I had him on a pedestal, and I thought he was the greatest man in the world.”
Koutoufides’s father was born in Egypt, a Greek or Egypt and was in EEAMA club. His mother was born in Italy, and she has some health challenges Koutafides said.
Koutoufides is always looks at how “to grow”, and “to grow you must be out of your comfort zone.”
“This is another challenge for me.
“If I know deep down inside that I’m doing the right thing for the City of Melbourne, its people, that’s the most important thing.”
Koutoufides believes that “giving back and seeing this city go back to the way that it was, as the most liveable city in the world”, is his motivation for running for the coveted prize of lord mayor of Melbourne.
The original article: NEOS KOSMOS .
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