‘Like coming home’ — Q & A with Doug Howard

South Portland’s new public works director, Doug
Howard, who started work Feb. 22.

SOUTH PORTLAND — Change is in the air at the South Portland Public Works Department, which for the first time is operating under its own director rather than shared leadership with Parks and Recreation. But the new man at the top of the totem pole is a familiar face. Doug Howard, 49, spent 18 years in the department before branching out, first on his own and then in a management role with Saco for nearly a decade. Even then, he continued to live in South Portland, raising three children. Now a grandfather, Howard spoke to The Current about his new role, for which he beat out 51 other applicants from Maine to Colorado.

Q: Does being a South Portland native help you in your new role?

A: Yes, I think I have a good idea of what the city’s vision is. I know a lot of the history of the city and a lot of the residents, which I think is helpful.

Q: Is this the job you dreamed of growing up?

A: Actually, I played baseball in high school, pitcher and shortstop, and I was recruited to pitch by several colleges. From day one, I thought, I always wanted to go to Orono. But I actually had some shoulder trouble in school. I can’t even throw a snowball anymore.

Q: So, how did you get into public works?

A: Well, I was working here part-time during the summers. Then, during rehabilitation for my shoulder I was down here taking some classes at USM when a position opened up here full-time. So, instead of completing my education, I applied and got the job.

Q: What was your first full-time job with South Portland Public Works?

A:I started right on the back of trash truck, slinging trash. I started right at the entry level and pretty much did every job in public works before I left.

Q: Why did you leave?

A: The last few years I was here in South Portland I took a lot of classes, studying at night – I’d always regretted not completing my education – and ended up starting sort of a side business with computer repair. I decided I wanted to give that a go.

Q: How did that work out?

A: I found out it was a lot of night work and weekends, because people want to be home when you’re working on their computers. Then about eight months after I left, Saco actually contacted me and asked me if I’d be interested in a job. I decided that I really liked being around people more than machines, and being part of team, while working with computers is just me and no one else, so I decided to apply. I was there almost nine years.

Q: What did you do for Saco?

A: I went from general superintendent to a new position called the environment utilities supervisor, in charge of anything that conveyed sewage to the treatment plant. They later gave me the fleet, managing the garage, and so that kind of evolved into an asset management position. That really gave me a lot of good experience to come back to South Portland.

Q: And how does it feel to be working in South Portland again?

A: It did feel like coming home, I don’t think it’s changed a lot. There’s a lot of equipment they didn’t have when I was here, but the building certainly hasn’t changed. It wasn’t a shock coming back into the system here. There’s still a lot of people here I worked with I was going up through.

Q: Do you think that, and the fact that you worked the entry-level jobs in this department, helps you in your new management role?

A: I think so. I’m sure everybody has their own opinion, but I think so. At least they know I understand what they’re doing. I think it helps if I come up with some idea, it helps with the buy-in, because they know I know what I’m talking about, that I’ve shared their experience.

Q: Why did you continue to live in South Portland, even when you worked in Saco?

A: I’ve always loved South Portland. It’s just a beautiful community with a lot of diverse, but a lot of very good people. It’s just a great place to raise a family. In fact, I did move to Scarborough for a short time, but when I had kids I came back because I wanted them to go through South Portland schools. I had such good experiences here and I thought the South Portland school system has a lot of resources and services.

Q: Any top priorities?

A: Right now I’m just acclimating. A lot has been coming at me fast and furious this week. I kind of want to see how they’re running things right now. This week I’m going to start sitting down with the crews to get a feel for what they see going on. But then, this building has been around. We could definitely use a new facility. There were deficiencies in terms of heating and ventilation even when I was here before. There’s been talk of relocating to the transfer station over on Highland Avenue. I’m not sure exactly where it is right now, but it is something I would say is one of the top priorities. I would like to see that go forward. It’d be a little better work environment and it’s more centrally located to points throughout the city. Plus, it would include the transfer facility, so you’d have everything on one compound.