Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been covering Portland City Hall for the Press Herald since 2012. His beat touches on a wide range of topics, including immigration, homelessness, education, tourism, real estate development and the economy in Maine’s largest city. He has been a Portland-based journalist since 2005. A life-long Mainer who loves the outdoors, Randy is also a bassist who brews his own beer at his North Yarmouth home, where he lives with his wife and two children.
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PublishedNovember 1, 2021
Portland City Council approves leases for planned shelter, spending plan for pandemic aid
The shelter approval came the night before voters head to the polls to decide on a citizen referendum to limit the size and locations of new homeless shelters in Portland.
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PublishedNovember 1, 2021
Jennings era comes to an end in Portland as city manager moves on
In a wide-ranging interview with the Press Herald, Jon Jennings reflects with mixed emotions on his 6-year tenure, including an incident that led his teenage daughter to urge him to find another job.
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PublishedOctober 27, 2021
Votes will be counted for Portland school board incumbent who dropped re-election bid, city says
City officials said Sarah Thompson can’t formally withdraw from the race because the city charter requires candidates to sign a pledge to stay in the race.
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PublishedOctober 26, 2021
Portland council to vote next week on $14.2 million in federal recovery funds
Proposed funding includes $3.5 million for the city’s planned homeless services center and $3.6 million to replace a community pool.
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PublishedOctober 26, 2021
Portland’s unsheltered homeless population is on the rise as temperatures drop
A winter of uncertainty looms for those living on the streets, with shelters operating at reduced capacity and federal funding for hotel rooms set to expire at the end of the year.
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PublishedOctober 25, 2021
Developers backing Portland’s shelter plan spend $40,000 on referendum
A commercial real estate agent and a local developer have formed a ballot question committee to support Option C, which would allow the city’s 208-bed homeless services center in Riverton to move forward.
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PublishedOctober 19, 2021
Portland charter commissioners warned of pitfalls of voting rights for noncitizens
Portland is once again debating whether to be the first city in Maine to allow noncitizens to vote in municipal elections. But immigration experts warn of unintended consequences.
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PublishedOctober 18, 2021
Portland City Council explains 2019 clean elections vote to court
The council issued a formal explanation to Maine’s top court for why it required a proposal to create a local clean elections program to be reviewed first by a charter commission, rather than sending it to the ballot.
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PublishedOctober 18, 2021
Portland mayor appoints panel to guide search for city manager
Mayor Kate Snyder will lead the committee, which will include three city councilors.
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PublishedOctober 18, 2021
Portland ballot question would limit size of new homeless shelters
The citizen referendum, which asks voters to choose one of two policies or none of them, is in response to the city’s plan to build a 208-bed homeless services center.
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