Mass. administrator tapped as new city manager
Portland's search committee and Mayor Nicolas Mavodones have selected Mark Rees as new city manager. Rees, currently the town manager in North Andover, Mass., must be approved by the city council at its June 6 meeting.
If confirmed, Rees will likely begin late this summer. He replaces Joseph Gray, who announced he was retiring last December after serving as city manager for 10 years. The other two finalists for the job were acting City Manager Pat Finnigan and Framingham, Mass., City Manager Julian Suso.
Rees has had more than 25 years' experience in municipal administration. He's been an assistant township manager in O'Hara, Pa., a town administrator in Ashburnham, Mass., and a town manager in Northbridge, Mass., according to a press release from the city. He has also worked as the chief financial officer for Framingham, Mass., which has an operating budget of $145 million.
"During his five-year tenure [in Framingham], he developed the town's first five-year capital budget plan and financial forecast," according to the release. "He is credited with developing fiscal policies that reversed a three-year trend of operating deficits and sustained the community's AA3 bond rating."
Rees has been the town manager of North Andover for more than 10 years, overseeing an operating budget of $86 million, according to the city. North Andover, which has about 30,000 people, is a little less than half the size of Portland. Portland's annual budget is about $200 million.
Rees will also be paid $143,000 a year, which is $22,000 more than what Gray earned, according to city spokeswoman Nicole Clegg. He will also have a two- or three-year contract with the city, the first such contract with a city manager, to be decided at next week's meeting.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments