Jon Jennings nearly left over disagreements with Mayor Ethan Strimling, but ‘we’re working really effectively right now,’ he says.
Randy Billings
Staff Writer
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.
Portland councilor has ups and downs in recovery from ruptured appendix
Spencer Thibodeau has been in the hospital for three weeks, and the city has postponed the annual District 2 meeting planned for Thursday.
Dentures left in Portland voting booth feed enough puns to set one’s teeth on edge
Will the owner and the choppers be reunited, or will he or she have to swallow the loss?
As developers raze buildings to make room for bigger ones, some on Munjoy Hill seek a pause
Residents say the city needs time to assess the impact as larger condos replace apartments and historic structures in Portland’s booming East End.
Landfill problems pile up, dimming Portland’s plan for solar array
The city is ordered to do more to secure the leaking landfill, and to stop or reverse some of the initial repairs.
Business community a force in Portland election
‘No’ campaigns on rent control and zoning questions held big spending edges, thanks mostly to businesses such as developers and Maine Med.
If you voted in Portland and you’re looking for your teeth, read this
The Portland City Clerk is seeking the owner of a set of dentures left in a polling booth Tuesday.
Again this year, neighborhoods off Portland peninsula carried clout in city elections
With more voters and higher turnout, the city’s outlying neighborhoods, anchored by families and older residents, often call the shots.
Voters turn down measure to make Portland first Maine city to cap rents
The decision comes despite a red-hot real estate market that has made apartments unaffordable. Opponents say the initiative was a bad way to set policy, and backers say they hope their efforts lead to a solution.
Portland council OKs 3-year police contracts that clear way for body cameras
City officials still need to draft a policy on how and when officers will use the technology.