Randy Billings is a government watchdog and political reporter who has been the State House bureau chief since 2021. He was named the Maine Press Association’s Journalist of the Year in 2020. He joined the Press Herald in 2012 as the Portland City Hall reporter, where his beat touched on a wide range of topics, including municipal government, immigration, homelessness, housing and social services. Prior to that, he worked at various weeklies as well as business and arts publications. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine, Orono. He lives in North Yarmouth with his wife and two children and enjoys the outdoors and playing his upright bass.
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PublishedNovember 18, 2015
To be perfectly clear, Portland gives Department of Public Works its name back
A change in 2008 to Portland Public Services led some people to show up at the department looking for human services help.
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PublishedNovember 16, 2015
Portland to further study proposal to make High and State streets two-way
The City Council votes 8-1 to accept a feasibility study on the $3.2 million proposal, which is supported by neighborhood groups in the West End and Parkside neighborhoods.
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PublishedNovember 16, 2015
Portland City Council acts to regulate parking lot operators who boot vehicles
Passed by a 6-3 vote, the new rules don’t cap fees to remove boots, but require detailed signs about a lot’s operation.
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PublishedNovember 15, 2015
Pressures of housing market shape Portland politics, fuel recurring clashes over development
A prime solution to the rental crunch – build more living units – often draws opposition from critics worried that the city will lose its small-town feel.
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PublishedNovember 9, 2015
Portland police still issuing marijuana citations, despite legalization ordinance
The report comes as debate is heating up statewide and nationally about the merits of legalizing pot for recreational use.
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PublishedNovember 9, 2015
Election brings new faces, more diversity to Portland City Council
Six of the nine councilors are newcomers or serving their first terms, and for the first time in recent memory, none lives on Munjoy Hill or in the West End.
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PublishedNovember 9, 2015
Takeaway in Portland mayor’s race: City Council strikes back
By endorsing Michael Brennan’s challenger, councilors sent a message that mayors should listen to and speak for them, not mostly pursue their own initiatives.
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PublishedNovember 5, 2015
Off-peninsula voters sealed fate of Portland’s minimum wage proposal
Opponents in neighborhoods like North Deering, Riverton and Libbytown outnumbered supporters downtown in the East and West ends
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PublishedNovember 4, 2015
After decisive win, Ethan Strimling prepares to be Portland mayor
The mayor-elect does a round of morning interviews, meets with City Manager Jon Jennings and starts setting his agenda.
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PublishedNovember 3, 2015
Brennan unseated by Strimling after one term as Portland mayor
Ethan Strimling, who lost the 2011 mayoral race to Michael Brennan, wins a three-way race by nearly 2,300 votes and gets the majority vote needed to avoid an instant runoff.
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