Council confirms Levine as new Portland planner

The City Council voted to confirm City Manager Mark Rees’ recommendation of Jeffrey Levine as the city’s new Planning and Urban Development Director.

From hereon out, I’ll be referring to him in these pages as “Jeff,” as he lightheartedly insisted to the council tonight they use the shorthand version of his name. Only his mother calls him “Jeffrey,” he said.

Jeffrey Levine (www.brooklinema.gov)

As planned, he’ll start working two or three days per week on July 9, and is scheduled to be on the staff full-time beginning Sept. 4. Levine comes to Portland by way of Brookline, Mass., and he’ll make $93,000 annually in Maine’s largest city.

Click on this previous blog post for more background on Levine’s accomplishments, who he replaces and the position’s recent lineage.

At tonight’s council meeting, Levine said Portland represents an “exciting” opportunity professionally, where development is still chugging along strong, especially considering the economy.

“I’ve been impressed by the quality of citizens I’ve met and by the quality of city staff,” he told the council.

District 2 City Councilor David Marshall said the hiring of Levine bolsters his belief that the city should always conduct a nationwide search when looking to fill high profile vacancies.

“We don’t always choose outside candidates,” he said. “Sometimes we’ll choose inside candidates, but I think it’s valuable to take a look. And I really appreciate the level of talent this search brought.”

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.