Lord Mayor Bruce Reynolds on rebuilding Perth
Reynolds, the immediate past president of the Perth Liberal branch, resigned from the party when he became deputy mayor, saying the role should be “a-political”.
After the elections, she won the top spot with 1,918 votes, narrowly defeating fellow council member Catherine Lezer. His term runs through October 2027, and he expects to serve for at least six years.
One of Reynolds’ first priorities was to repair the city’s fractured relationship with the state government.
“The first thing I had to do was make sure we started talking again,” he said.
“[Premier Cook and I] message…he called me yesterday. I love being around him. “He was the first person to text me when I won.”
Growing up in public housing, changing schools more than a dozen times and not being able to read until the age of nine, Reynolds’ story is one of determination. He said he found his confidence in football.
“I fell in love with the AFL and statistics,” he said. “If I could remember all the stats from the weekend I could know everything.”
He said his upbringing taught him resilience and the mindset he now applies to running the city.
“I’m not the smartest person in the room, but I can control doing the right thing,” Reynolds said.
“And I can control more work than anyone else.”
Reynolds’ main priority was to make Perth “Australia’s safest city”.
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“If someone Googles ‘Safest city in Australia’ and Perth, that changes everything. Businesses invest. Tourists come,” he said.
He doesn’t know how to get there, but he said it’s an achievable goal within three years if all levels of government remain committed to the goal.
The plan he is most excited about is transforming Perth’s identity from “City of Light” to “City of Brightness” by attracting international university campuses to the CBD.
He said this would help deal with empty storefronts and revitalize the city.
“If we could fill a space like David Jones with students, imagine the energy of the city,” Reynolds said.
“Retail as we know it doesn’t exist anymore, but if you fill the city with young people it can revive.”
When asked what success would look like, Reynolds said, “History will be the judge.”
“If I become the mayor who makes Perth the safest city, or I become the person who helps the homeless, or even if no one remembers me, that’s okay,” he said.
“As long as I look in the mirror every morning and know I’m doing the right thing, that’s enough. I’m not perfect. I’ll make mistakes. But I want to be a decent person.”
