A third candidate in the Adelaide City Council mayoral race has materialised, telling CityMag if elected he would get rid of WiFi and Uber in the city, and lead free workshops about the “health dangers” of “radiation exposure”.

Steven Kelly, an Adelaide-based business person and owner of Rundle Street venue The Loft, has announced his candidacy to once again run for Lord Mayor.

Kelly’s announcement comes after incumbent Lord Mayor Sandy Verschoor confirmed her candidacy to the media over the weekend, and weeks after former senator Rex Patrick firmed up his tilt exclusively to InDaily.

A self-described hospitality entrepreneur and former Dancing With The Stars Greece “personality“, Kelly was unsuccessful in his bid for the lord mayoral position in the 2018 Adelaide City Council general elections.

During his last campaign, Kelly said if elected he would fix homelessness within 60 days of taking office, improve the council’s internet security, and open-up free parking in the city.

Kelly declined to speak to CityMag about his renewed candidacy over the phone. However, he answered our questions in written responses, composed through a “voice-to-text software program”, sent via an encrypted ProtonMail email account.

In regards to his renewed campaign, there had been “serious matters” that have come up over the past four years that “must be attended to”.

“Things” within the Adelaide City Council were “not transparent”, he said, and as Lord Mayor he would bring back “responsibility and humanity” that is “so much missing”.

Steven Kelly. This picture: Supplied

“I want to get involved with the real issues [and] work on substantial matters that make a difference, not just go in there where the gold robe and do what I’m told to,” Kelly said.

His 10-point policy plan features similar themes to his last council election attempt; this time he says he will fix rough sleeping within “two months” of the first day of taking office and improve the city’s nightlife.

However, he would also like to put the Adelaide City Council’s IT system under a microscope.

“There won’t be any more Facebook Instagram or any other social media sites including Google accessible from the Adelaide City Council computers as this puts in serious jeopardy the personal data and privacy of our citizens,” Kelly said.

The city’s $4.8 million WiFi network would also be scrutinised, as well as the “health dangers” of “radiation exposure from Wi-Fi Bluetooth”.

“I will introduce hard wiring to all Internet routers to any day-care schools and universities within the CBD,” he said.

“I will ask for the banning of mobile phones for the students as that will improve their concentration increase their social skills and decrease bullying and bad behaviour.

“I will [also] initiate and lead free workshops that will educate our local government staff members, teachers and kids about the serious health dangers of radiation exposure from Wi-Fi Bluetooth and any wireless devices as they are the leading cause of many health problems interrupt (sic) our focus and sleeping patterns.”

He would also “half (sic) property tax” to “bring some justice to the hard-working people” and “stop” facial recognition cameras from rolling out in the city.

Kelly would also ban Uber from operating within the city, suggesting under this framework money earned by the driver from the service would “remain” in South Australia and not be “transferred” to the US.

“Up to this day I cannot understand why taxi drivers go through police checks health checks and go through a whole process to maybe be allowed to do this job and with Uber anyone can just get the app and start working, this is unfair unsafe and in my opinion had to be illegal,” he said.

“By stopping Uber we will be supporting our community and taxi drivers.”

Kelly’s Facebook page – Steven Kelly for Lord Mayor Adelaide – features numerous posts questioning the validity of COVID-19 vaccines.

Asked if he was an anti-vaxxer, Kelly said he’d received all the “approved and fully tested vaccines”.

Adelaide City Council nominations open 23 August and close on 6 September, with the scrutiny and count slated for 12 November.