The Westbrook City Council approved the appointment Monday of a Washington, D.C., resident as the new city planner.
In a phone interview Monday evening, Molly Just said she is looking forward to the fall foliage and cross-country skiing after she arrives in Maine to take up her new position on Aug. 6.
“Molly was clearly our first choice,” Westbrook Mayor Bruce Chuluda said at Monday’s council meeting. “Molly’s education, experience, and professionalism will make her a strong leader.”
Just will replace City Planner Brooks More, who left the job in April to be the Windham town planner.
The city budgeted $49,000 for the position last year, but Just will be joining the city with a salary of more than $60,000. The city decided to make the upgrade to the position in this year’s budget to stay competitive in the planning field.
Westbrook Human Resources Director Tina Crellin said the city went through a two panel process. After the first panel looked at the 19 applicants for the position, members quickly narrowed their consideration down to one – Just.
“She definitely stood out, probably from the start, as the best candidate,” said Councilor Dorothy Aube. “I’m looking forward to working with her.”
Just has seven years of experience in planning and development, and has been working in the Arlington, Va., area since 2000, most recently as the senior revitalization planner for Arlington County, where 17,000 jobs are being lost after implementing the federal government’s base realignment and closure decisions.
Just grew up in Asheville, N.C., and earned her bachelor’s degree in international relations from Salem College in North Carolina and her master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia, but she is no stranger to Maine. Her husband, Chris, who works in information technology, graduated from Colby College, and the two were married in Boothbay Harbor in 2005.
“My husband and I both love Maine,” Just said. “I love the cold. This is absolutely the worst time of year in D.C.”
Just said she’ll be moving up to Maine at the end of July with her dog, while her husband and two cats hang around D.C. for a bit longer while they sell their home.
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