Zann Maxwell Could Be City Of Sydney Council’s First Out Gay Lord Mayor

This story was originally published on City Hub

Labor candidate Zann Maxwell is running to be the next lord mayor of Sydney. If he wins he will be the first out Queer mayor in the City of Sydney’s history.

Sydney has had an out gay mayor before. John Fowler was the first out gay mayor in Sydney. He served as mayor of South Sydney Council from 2000 until 2002. South Sydney Council was merged with the City of Sydney Council in 2004.

‘Showing People Government Can Work For Them’

Maxwell, 35, was born on Lord Howe Island. At age seven, after his parents split up, he moved to New Zealand with his mum. In 2011, Maxwell moved to Melbourne where he got a degree in postgraduate law, before moving to Sydney in 2017.

Maxwell’s first political job was as an electorate officer for MP Bill Shorten, then the opposition leader.

In an interview with City Hub, Maxwell shared, “Some of the most rewarding days I ever had at work was when an actual constituent from Maribyrnong, in [Shorten’s] electorate, would call with a real issue with the government, whether it was Centrelink, or the immigration department, or something like that, and we could actually help them.”

This experience of helping constituents with important everyday issues sparked his love for public service.

“Helping people, and showing people government can work for them, was something that I found really rewarding, and I think that is the bread and butter of being a councillor.”

‘We Need A Commitment To Fairness And Making The City More Accessible’

An issue of importance to Maxwell, a renter himself, is affordability and ensuring Sydney is accessible to everyone.

“I think that what we need now is more of a commitment to fairness and making the city more accessible for people from all walks of life to make home,” he said.

Maxwell also stressed the need to revive Sydney’s “nightlife and vibrancy.”

“We need to get our nightlife and vibrancy firing again,” he said. “With lockouts and lockdowns, the city’s nightlife and vibrancy has really suffered, and the businesses that support those have as well.”

One such place is Oxford Street. For years, the area has been plagued by high vacancies and heavy vehicle traffic.

Election After Election The Renaissance Of Oxford Street Is Always Just Around The Corner… But Nothing Ever Changes’

“Election after election the renaissance of Oxford Street is always just around the corner with this Lord Mayor, but nothing ever changes, he said. “We really need fresh energy, fresh ideas and fresh imagination to revive Oxford Street.”

For Maxwell, the revitalisation of Oxford Street is personal to him and the Labor team.

“I’m the only out queer candidate leading a ticket and the top three people on my ticket are all part of our rainbow community,” he shared.

“I spend a lot of time on Oxford Street. If I’m going out on a Friday or Saturday or whatever night, Oxford Street is my destination. So it’s not theoretical to me. This is where I hang out.”

 

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Five New Special Entertainment Precincts

The Labor team’s solution is to declare five special entertainment precincts in the city, one of which will be Oxford Street.

“That would allow businesses to stay open later, make it easier for them to put cut red tape, and put on like live performance, and also make it harder for one neighbour to close down popular, buzzing venues because of a complaint,” Maxwell explained.

“The Labor-led Inner West Council just next door had a really successful trial of a special entertainment precinct on Enmore road. They’ve decided to make it permanent. So we know it works. We just have to get on with it.”

Along with special entertainment precincts, Maxwell’s plan calls for improving the physical environment of Oxford Street as well.

“We can do that by slowing the traffic, narrowing the lanes, and I want to see the kind of footpath widening that has been so successful on Crown Street. That will make the physical environment of the street a more pleasant place to actually linger and spend time,” he said.

In closing, Maxwell explained what drove him to run for Lord Mayor.

“Sydney has everything it needs to be one of the great cities of the world. But if you ask anyone who’s been down Oxford Street, or trying to find an affordable place to live, or somewhere new to go out, or even to get their bins picked up… Sydney’s at risk of losing that potential and becoming another playground, just for the few who can afford it.”

The Sydney Local Council election will be held on September 14.