The Portland Community Chamber of Commerce forum comes as opponents of the initiatives hold a significant fundraising and spending advantage over proponents.
Randy Billings
Staff Writer
Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been the State House bureau chief since 2021. He was named the Maine Press Association’s Journalist of the Year in 2020. He joined the Press Herald in 2012 as the Portland City Hall reporter, where his beat touched on a wide range of topics, including municipal government, immigration, homelessness, housing and social services. Prior to that, he worked at various weeklies as well as business and arts publications. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine, Orono. He lives in North Yarmouth with his wife and two children and enjoys the outdoors and playing his upright bass.
Posted inElection 2020, Local & State, Local Elections
Two candidates for open District 4 seat on Portland City Council
Andrew Zarro, a progressive small business owner, faces Rosemary Mahoney, a longtime Portland resident and union organizer who ran unsuccessfully in 2014.
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Posted inLocal & State, Local Elections, News, Politics
Four candidates seek District 5 seat on the Portland City Council
Two who have never held elective office, Kathryn Sykes and Kenneth Capron, are competing against 2 experienced candidates, John Coyne and Mark Dion, for the open seat representing Riverton, North Deering and Deering Center.
Posted inLocal & State, Politics
Four compete for open at-large seat on Portland City Council
District 4 Councilor Justin Costa is running against political newcomers April Fournier, Ronald Gan and Laura Kelley.
Posted inLocal & State, Local Elections, News, Politics
Group launches campaign against 3 ballot questions in Portland
The Building a Better Portland political action committee says the measures to promote a green new deal and tenants’ rights would backfire and threaten the creation of affordable housing in the city.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Portland’s new racial equity panel gets to work on policy review
The Racial Equity Steering Committee begins an examination of public safety, community partnerships and other policies that disproportionately affect people of color in Maine’s largest city.
Posted inLocal & State
What’s that structure going up next to Back Cove?
It’s not a hotel or condominium. It’s a temporary part of a project that will reduce the amount of raw sewage and polluted stormwater runoff being discharged into the cove.
Posted inLocal & State, Uncategorized
Portland councilors approve budget that includes layoffs
Portland city councilors put the finishing touches on a city budget that would leave property taxes unchanged.
Posted inLocal & State
Portland councilors to vote on city budget that cuts 65 positions
Budgets for police and health and human services have undergone the most scrutiny this year, because of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Posted inLocal & State, News
Portland and South Portland release ambitious climate action plan
The cities plan to work together on regional strategies to reduce carbon emissions from buildings and eliminate virtually all waste in the next 30 years.