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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PublishedFebruary 23, 2021
Advocates urge Portland to reconsider needle exchange policy
The city allows clients to receive only the same number of clean needles as the used needles they turn in, unless they qualify for an exemption.
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PublishedFebruary 22, 2021
Portland council revives proposal for Munjoy Hill Historic District
The City Council will take up the proposal again April 5, after the city’s staff can provide more information in response to councilors’ questions.
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PublishedFebruary 22, 2021
Portland is about to consider major changes to city government, and it could be historic
The city finds itself in another era of dissatisfaction and political tension, and some already are pushing for a partial return to the strong-mayor structure discarded a century ago.
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PublishedFebruary 19, 2021
Portland committee recommends new department to promote racial equity
Mayor Kate Snyder and councilors appointed the commission following a series of Black Lives Matter demonstrations over the summer and will present an interim report to councilors on Monday.
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PublishedFebruary 18, 2021
Portland councilor wants to reconsider vote rejecting Munjoy Hill Historic District
City Councilor Andrew Zarro, who was one of five councilors who voted against the proposal, would like the council to take more time to address unanswered questions and revisit the issue on April 5.
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PublishedFebruary 15, 2021
Portland honors memory of city’s first Black elected office holder
Clifford ‘Kippy’ Richardson was a well-respected businessman who in 1971 became the first Black person elected to municipal office in Portland, serving on both the school board and City Council.
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PublishedFebruary 11, 2021
Advocates ask high court to force Portland to hold vote on clean elections
The Maine Supreme Judicial Court heard arguments Thursday, after a lower court dismissed the lawsuit brought by Fair Elections Portland, which wants to create the state’s first public financing option for municipal candidates.
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PublishedFebruary 8, 2021
More renters seek help as relief program struggles to keep up
The state reports there are 2,000 rent relief applications filed before Dec. 31 still being processed, and renters say they are running out of savings.
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PublishedFebruary 4, 2021
Portland provides hazard pay at city nursing home during outbreak
City officials say the increased pay at the Barron Center is covered by Medicaid and unrelated to a hazard pay requirement in Portland’s new minimum wage ordinance.
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PublishedFebruary 3, 2021
Advocates regroup after Portland council narrowly rejects Munjoy Hill historic district
While supporters said the buildings reflect the neighborhood’s working-class history, opponents argued that the proposal would hinder development and lead to less diversity.
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