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Mayor Keith Wilson has chosen Raymond Lee as the next city administrator, Portland’s top bureaucratic post overseeing everyday operations from policing to trash pickup.
Lee formerly served as city manager of Greeley, Colo., a city with a population of 116,000. (Portland has about 635,000 residents.)
Lee resigned from his position in Greeley in November, a move he made to “explore new opportunities,” the city said at the time.
In his Dec. 2 announcement, Wilson cited major projects spearheaded by Lee as the reason for his pick, including an intergovernmental partnership to remake Greeley’s urban core and the launch of a massive entertainment and housing district with “a proposed 10,000-seat arena, resort hotel, water park, and multimodal transit hub representing $1.1 billion in investment.”
The City Council must approve Lee’s nomination, which is set for a vote next week.
Lee said in a statement he was “humbled” by Wilson’s nomination.
“Stepping into this moment for Portland is both a responsibility and a privilege,” Lee said, “and I welcome the opportunity to partner with the mayor and council as we continue building a strong foundation for this new form of government.”
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated the number of residents in Portland. The city has about 635,000 residents. WW regrets the error.
