Commissioner Chloe Eudaly Selects Second New Bureau Director

Rebecca Esau will become the second woman to head the Bureau of Development Services.

(WW Staff)
By Rachel Monahan

City Commissioner Chloe Eudaly has appointed a woman to head the Bureau of Development Services—the second in the bureau's history.

Rebecca Esau, who served as interim bureau director after Eudaly pushed out the previous director, Paul Scarlett, will now take the helm officially.

Since taking office in January, Eudaly kicked off her oversight of both bureaus she was assigned by dismissing the previous leadership.

Related: Why Has Portland Spent More Than a Million Dollars Saying Goodbye to Bureaucrats?

She recruited an outside candidate to lead the Office of Neighborhood Involvement. This time, she opted for an internal candidate without a search.

"I offered her the job because she brings a high level of competence, diligence, passion and dedication to this position at a critical time for the city," Eudaly wrote in an email to BDS staff on Wednesday.

"She has strong support from the development community, neighborhoods, BDS staff and leadership at other city bureaus, as well as that of the Mayor, the City Council and me. That's why I determined that doing a national search when we have already identified the best candidate would be a waste of taxpayer dollars at a critical time."

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