Danielle West will be Portland’s new permanent city manager.
The City Council unanimously approved West’s appointment on Monday, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Mayor Kate Snyder, who isn’t seeking reelection this year, praised West as “thoughtful” and “creative.”
West will be paid at least $210,000 a year under the three-year contract, which includes a $7,500 signing bonus, $750 monthly vehicle allowance and cost-of-living and merit-based increases, the Press Herald reported.
West, the city’s former corporation counsel, rose to the position of interim city manager in November 2021 following the departure of her predecessor, Jon Jennings, who left to become city manager of Clearwater, Florida. Jennings, who frequently sparred with then-Mayor Ethan Strimling, was fired from that position in January.
West has worked for the city since 2008, becoming its top lawyer in 2013. Before that, she worked at the firm Bergen & Parkinson in Kennebunk, focusing on municipal law and land use law. She graduated from the University of Maine School of Law and worked as a law clerk for the Maine Superior Court.
