While Mr Doyle won the 2016 election easily, the May byelection to replace him is an open race because of the uncertain flow of preferences and the lack of an obvious frontrunner. In the 2016 campaign, the Greens had a little-known candidate who still took 26 per cent of the vote. This time, Rohan Leppert, a high-profile city councillor for five years, is running. As the chair of arts and deputy chair of planning, he has been outspoken on development issues. Rohan Leppert is the Greens' candidate for lord mayor of Melbourne. Credit:Justin McManus On Friday, Labor MP Jane Garrett ended weeks of speculation she would run. Ms Garrett, a former mayor of Yarra, told the ABC’s Jon Faine that while she wanted to run, she didn't want to force a byelection in her now-marginal seat of Brunswick, which is widely tipped to fall to the Greens at the next opportunity. The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union would have backed Ms Garrett's run. But she said the need for Labor to avoid a Brunswick by-election was “the only determining factor” in her not running.

With Ms Garrett out, former Labor state secretary Nick Reece - a councillor elected on Mr Doyle’s ticket - is supporting Ms Capp. He declined to comment on Ms Capp’s run on Friday. Ms Capp has talked with Cr Reece (who is also a former advisor to ex-Prime Minister Julia Gillard and deputy chief of staff to former premier John Brumby) about her campaign. Once a Liberal Party member, Ms Capp has worked with Labor closely over the years - she was appointed by Mr Brumby's government as Victoria's Agent-General in London. While Ms Capp has deep connections to politics and property interests in Melbourne, she is also well connected in sports, as a former board member of both Rowing Australia and Collingwood Football Club.

Former lord mayor Robert Doyle (left) with Team Doyle teammate Nick Reece, from the ALP. Credit:Wayne Taylor If she won, Ms Capp would be the first directly elected woman lord mayor of Melbourne. On Friday, Ms Capp said she was seeking advice from "a mix of people" about her run. Labor is likely to field Jennifer Yang as its unofficial candidate. Ms Yang ran for Labor in the Senate at the last election and is a former mayor of Manningham. She has met with Ms Capp about the race. Ms Yang, those close to the lord mayoral battle say, will help funnel votes from the large Chinese and Malay community in Melbourne City Council's areas to Ms Capp.

Ms Capp’s spokesman Tim Gleason, a former press secretary to Kevin Rudd, said that despite any speculation on links to either of the major parties, his candidate was independent. Ms Yang did not respond to phone calls. One candidate happier to discuss their likely lord mayoral run was television personality Sam Newman. He has been taking advice from the Liberal Party's Peter Clarke. Now the mayor of Nillumbik, Cr Clarke was on the city council for eight years. “I have an interest in the city because I live in it,” said Mr Newman, a Docklands resident. If he does run, it would have the advantage of “giving people someone to object to", he joked. “I would maybe run to give people someone to vote against - it would make them feel warm and happy to vote against me."