Acting City Manager James Gailey was named South Portland’s new city manager a day after the City Council interviewed five finalists for the job.
Gailey, a South Portland native and veteran City Hall employee, has served as acting city manager since Ted Jankowski quit without notice in May.
Gailey, 36, also stepped in briefly as city manager when Jeff Jordan retired in 2006.
“The city’s challenges ultimately are providing the best services and keeping costs down,” Gailey said earlier this year, when he announced his interest in the job.
“We’re all excited about it,” Assistant City Clerk Karen Morrill said this afternoon at City Hall.
Gailey is known for his dedication to the city as well as for his communication skills and understanding of city departments. He likens the job of City Manager to a chief executive officer.
“The city manager is the chief executive officer of 12 small businesses – or city departments – from parks and recreation to police and fire protection,” said Gailey.
“Every department here is strong and provides superior service to residents. I want to continue to build on that, improving service delivery and keeping costs down for the taxpayer,” he said.
-Linda Hersey
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