Former state Liberal MP Simon Behrakis has announced he will run for deputy lord mayor and alderman at the upcoming Hobart council election, saying he cannot sit by and watch the city “deteriorate under the current leadership.”
Behrakis previously served as a Hobart alderman before entering state parliament following the resignation of Elise Archer in late 2023.
He lost his seat at the 2025 state election to Liberal party colleague and sitting MP Madeleine Ogilvie by less than 200 votes.
Speaking to Pulse today, Behrakis said he had been contacted countless times over the past 12 months urging him to stand again.
“With everything that’s going on, I just sort of figured I can’t just stand by and watch it all happen,” he told Pulse.
“I’ve got to do something myself about it and throw my hat back in the ring.”
Behrakis will go up against current deputy lord mayor Zelinda Sherlock for the position in October, alongside Louise Elliot and a number of other candidates vying for the deputy lord mayor title.
He said the council, under what he described as the “Reynolds/Sherlock regime”, had become “completely disconnected from the needs and concerns of those who live and pay rates in Hobart.”
“Councillors’ disregard for ratepayer’s money has gone from wasting funds on unnecessary pet projects, to blatant theft of property,” he said.
Behrakis also took aim at outgoing Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds, saying her attitude towards the business community had been dismissive.
“[It] has been all smiles and hugs and photo opportunities when they’re happy and have nothing bad to say,” he said.
“But as soon as there’s ever any criticism or any concerns raised, the first response has been to dismiss and belittle and ignore.”
He criticised the Collins Street bike lane, saying even proponents of the project had admitted there were safety issues with its design.
“There’s businesses saying that the people are finding it harder and harder and harder to get into the city physically,” he said.
“We have a council that sees these sort of impacts as a feature, not a bug, because their only motivation is to get people out of cars.”
Behrakis pointed to Hobart being ranked the hardest capital city in Australia to build a home, while businesses were “shutting down left, right and centre.”
He said if elected he would set up a regular business advisory committee, focus on road maintenance and housing development and listen to residents rather than pursuing “pet projects.”
“When you talk to people on the street, they don’t want to be told what’s good for them,” he said.
“They want a councillor that’s actually going to listen to the everyday issues, not do the sexy fancy new thing, not do the pet projects.”
Behrakis confirmed he would run as an independent despite holding Liberal Party membership, as the party does not endorse council candidates.
He also threw his support behind Councillor Marti Zucco for lord mayor.
He said he has stepped back from new lobbying and advisory company, The Advisory, to campaign.
“I don’t think that it’s feasible to be an elected representative and be a lobbyist at the same time,” he said.
