Reece Harley has told Business News he will seek to reclaim his position on council in the City of Perth's upcoming election.
Reece Harley has told Business News he will seek to reclaim his position on council in the City of Perth's upcoming election.
Mr Harley, along with the city’s seven other councillors and the lord mayor, were suspended by the state government in 2018 following years of factional infighting on the council.
The city subsequently underwent a two-year inquiry, during which some councillors were accused of wrongdoing.
Mr Harley was not accused of wrongdoing in the inquiry's final report.
Speaking to Business News, Mr Harley said his experience on council and his knowledge of local government would put him in a good position to deliver results for the city.
"It's obviously been very difficult in the last few years for the City of Perth, and I feel my time on the council saw me having to fight for outcomes a lot," he said.
"I spent a lot of my time pushing good ideas and finding it quite difficult to get good outcomes.
"With a new council, a new CEO, new staff in senior management positions and a new lord mayor, there's a genuine opportunity for us to achieve really positive outcomes."
First elected to the City of Perth's council in 2013, Mr Harley ran a self-funded, grassroots campaign for lord mayor against the incumbent, Lisa Scaffidi, in 2015.
While he lost that race, capturing 45 per cent of the vote, he held Ms Scaffidi to the lowest winning margin of any of her three campaigns for lord mayor.
Mr Harley was subsequently re-elected to council in 2017.
In addition, he was the founder of Museum of Perth and has served as its managing director since 2015.
When asked about what policies he will pursue if elected, Mr Harley listed financial management, diversifying the city's revenue stream away from parking fees, reforming organisational culture, addressing office and retail vacancies and supporting community groups among his top priorities.
Mr Harley now joins a crowded race for the city's eight vacant council positions that includes several candidates who have endorsed media personality Basil Zempilas's lord mayoral bid.
They include local television presenter Gary Mitchell and Friends Restaurant owner Clyde Bevan.
Mustang Bar managing director Michael Keiller and businesswoman Gloria Zhang, who had announced bids and subsequently endorsed Mr Zempilas for lord mayor, have reportedly been ruled ineligible to run due to the nature of their nominated lease agreements.
Both candidates are now appealling those rulings.
Mr Harley, who is eligible to run for council because he owns property in Crawley, confirmed he will not endorse any candidate in the lord mayoral race.
Other candidates running for council include former City of Bayswater councillor Brent Fleeton, RSL WA chief executive John McCourt, Strata Community Australia WA director Catherine Lezer, and former Greens WA adviser Aimee Smith.
Activate Perth chair Di Bain and FJM Property director Sandy Anghie, who are both running for lord mayor, are concurrently running for a spot on council.
Elections to the council's eight vacant positions and lord mayoralty will be held on October 17.
