Harbour City gains unexpected cheerleader in Melbourne's lord mayor
'Sydney and Melbourne are the two best cities in the world!' Reece said glowingly of the northern metropolis on a LinkedIn post (but not in an official media release, as far as we could tell).
Talk about undermining 124 years of slow burn resentment towards the Harbour City nurtured by our bitter, envious friends to the south.
Reece also blew smoke in the direction of some of NSW's most prominent power players (though the state's unofficial premier, Peter V'landys, was missing).
NSW Premier Chris Minns was 'a seriously smart guy … he also has an incredible knowledge of rugby league'. But Reece kept it real, musing that Minns might be lucky enough to score an invitation to the AFL Grand Final, which will be a non-event to most Sydneysiders, what with the Swans' season of woe.
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Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore was a 'legend' who had 'copped a bit over the years' but was someone who deserves 'huge credit for her vision and determination'.
He also name-checked Business Sydney's Paul Nicolau and Crown Resorts chairman John Borghetti, and mused that Melbourne had 'much to learn' from the Vivid festival, which should send chills down the spine of our snobbier southern neighbours.
Still, Reece managed to straddle a line between enthusiastic guest and Melbourne advocate, ready to heap praise on his hometown. So when meeting hospitality baron Justin Hemmes, he cannily pointed out that while he loved his tour of The Ivy, the billionaire manbun's biggest project was Parkade in Melbourne, the next target of Merivale's imperial ambitions.
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