🔒On the Record: Preserving Portland’s working waterfront top of mind for new city official

Heather Moretti, former business development manager at Bristol Seafood, recently succeeded Bill Needelman as Portland’s waterfront coordinator. To find out more, Mainebiz sat down with the Sunshine State native in her third-floor office at City Hall. Mainebiz: What is your educational and professional background? Heather Moretti: I studied environmental science as an undergraduate and then my first job was in journalism. After a few years, I realized I didn’t want to just write about sustainability — I wanted to work on it. I studied fisheries management at the University of Miami and got a master’s in coastal zone management. I worked in fisheries management, aquaculture and then in seafood. That brought me to Maine, working hands-on with ocean farmers and fishermen. MB: How does this job compare to your previous work? HM: There’s a misconception that government workers may not be the most productive, but my department and others really care about the work. I hit the ground running and have leaned into my existing marine community. I’ve been given a charter and am able to run with it — I’m really enjoying that. MB: What does the waterfront coordinator job entail? HM: The waterfront coordinator is the liaison between everything happening on the waterfront and City Hall. I am the voice of the waterfront in matters related to cruises, the port, the seafood shops, the wharf owners. MB: What have you been doing your first few months on the job? HM: I’ve been familiarizing myself with what I don’t know. I’m lucky to have already built a community on the waterfront. I’m originally from Florida and moved here in 2020 and didn’t know anybody. As aquaculture coordinator for Maine Sea Grant, I was catapulted into a marine-based community working with fishermen, sea farmers, the Department of Marine Resources, researchers and policy makers. That naturally became my first community because it was COVID and there weren’t a lot of other things to do. I dove into the job. Through that work and later at Bristol Seafood, I’ve built a community on the waterfront. As waterfront coordinator, I’ve been spending the first few months gathering information on what I don’t know — meeting people, meeting with different organizations adjacent to the water that have interest in the waterfront, and learning about the history of Portland and how the waterfront came to be — so I can develop an informed vision. MB: What surprised you the most? HM: I’m from Florida, so my history is Spanish conquistadors. I did not know the thorough history of Portland. That has been really helpful in gaining context around how Portland came to be as a city, and how important the piers and the wharves are and were. Also rail — I did not know the significance of those industries and that infrastructure and how it helped shape Portland and the peninsula. MB: What are your priorities this year? HM: I want to ensure that our waterfront stays working and that that we maintain those heritage industries — that’s part of our identity — and that we continue to have that character as a city. I also want to help spur innovation and bring new ideas to market in the broader blue economy. The blue economy covers everything from seafood and value-added to companies like Marin Skincare, which took a product that was being washed down the drain [lobster protein] and turned it into a business model. There’s also technology in the blue economy, like buoys to monitor water quality, and biotech uses like seaweed in pharmaceuticals. So, bringing in other users to the waterfront, not just historic industries, not just fisheries and shipbuilding, but also innovation. MB: What efforts are planned to attract more innovative companies? HM: We are just starting to have those conversations. There are accelerator programs and incubators in the state and region. I’m part of the Working Waterfront Advisory Council, a newly formed group that makes recommendations to the legislature. It includes people from different coastal communities — insurance representatives, town managers, property owners. A lot of people are thinking about what’s the next phase of the waterfront. I’m starting to think about that for Portland and planning for it now. It’s been a lot of connection-making and thinking about the future, both our resilience and our evolution.