Jordan Shelburne was appointed Westbrook’s new tax collector Monday, which is seen as an important piece of the transition process for the finance department following an embezzlement scandal last month. 

Shelburne starts work Monday, July 18. 

Shelburne was not able to attend the meeting, but City Administrator Jerre Bryant said she had already received some training on the city’s finance software last week.

Alicia Gardiner, the city’s chief financial officer, had taken on the duties of tax collector, but announced she will be resigning later this summer. 

“We’re very pleased to have a candidate of her caliber,” Bryant said. “As the council is well aware, this is an incredibly important position.” 

Bryant said her hiring comes at a “perfect point,” when the city begins the commitment process for taxes for 2017. 

Shelburne most recently worked as a tax accountant for Dead River Co. in South Portland. She holds a master’s degree in accounting from Castleton State College in Castleton, Vt.

Also on Monday, the City Council approved a liquor license for Brea Lu Cafe, which has relocated from Portland following a fire. According to owner Christian Deluca, the restaurant, offering breakfast and lunch, will most likely open in its new location at 9 Cumberland St. next month. The building formerly was home to Thanksgivings Bakery & Eatery. It was built in 1964 by the former Westbrook Trust Co.

Deluca said the move to Westbrook is saving the business a lot of money, given the state of Portland’s ever-tightening market. 

“We’re excited to come to the city,” he said. “The crunch in Portland is no joke.”

Brea Lu – short for breakfast and lunch – was located on Forest Avenue in Portland for more than 30 years. The business hours will most likely be 6 a.m.-2 p.m. 

Deluca added that the owner of the now-closed Colonial Bowling gave Brea Lu one of the bowling lanes to be used as a bar in the new space.

“Everyone here is welcoming, which is a little bit different,” he said.

The City Council also unanimously approved the creation of an overlay zone in order to add “service businesses,” such as hair salons and laundramats, as a special exception in the Residential Growth Area 2 zone.

The only RGA2 zone affected will be in the area between the medical office off Park Road and the Westbrook Community Center. The impetus for adding service businesses to the zone was to allow for a hair salon to operate in the medical office and condominium building behind the Mercy Hospital location off Park Road.

According to owner Christian Deluca, Brea Lu restaurant, offering breakfast and lunch, will most likely open in its new location at 9 Cumberland St. in Westbrook next month. The City Council approved the liquor license on Monday. This photo from the restaurant’s Facebook page shows the start of the renovations.

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