PORTLAND – Portland’s new mayor promised a “robust” business visitation program and pushed for development of research partnerships in his first major speech since being inaugurated Monday.

At this morning’s “Eggs ‘n Issues” event, Michael Brennan told members of the Portland Community Chamber of Commerce that he wants to help the city differentiate between retaining jobs that will be important in the future and those that may not merit at a lot of attention.

Additional Photos

John Patriquin/Staff Photographer. Wednesday, Dec.7, 2011. Newly sworn-in Portland mayor Michael Brennan speaks at Portland Chamber's Eggs and Issues breakfast at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.

Brennan said he would focus on keeping those key jobs. He noted the approach was a theme of former Gov. Angus King, and he thinks it applies to Portland as well as the state as a whole.

Brennan said that theme also relates to his visitation plan, in which he hopes to meet with leaders of the city’s major businesses and find out what the city can do to help them prosper and create more jobs.

He said a research-triangle program, uniting businesses and colleges, can help “create the jobs of the future and close the skills gap” between the jobs that are in most demand and the ability of workers to fill them.

Brennan is the city’s first popularly elected mayor in 88 years and was picked last month in a ranked-choice election – two major changes to the city’s government structure that were adopted by voters last year. He was inaugurated Monday and tonight will lead his first Portland City Council meeting.

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