Portland has named Adena Long, a deputy commissioner of New York City’s parks department, as its next parks leader.

Commissioner Nick Fish, who oversees the Parks & Recreation Department, announced the hire in a statement on Thursday.

The hire means one of the city’s top administrative positions is finally filled, but Portland still lacks a permanent leader for key jobs like the transportation, planning and sustainability, fire, budget and emergency management bureaus.

Long is a native New Yorker who started her career in that city’s parks bureau as a seasonal park ranger in 1997. According to Fish, she rose to become the youngest ever commissioner of a New York City parks borough, leading Staten Island’s parks department. She was also the first woman to hold that position. Long, 48, currently works as Deputy Commissioner for Urban Park Service and Public Programs, a position she’s held since 2016.

Her hire comes nine months after long-time parks leader Mike Abbaté resigned and pulled in a roughly $100,000 severance check as then-city commissioner Amanda Fritz decided to find new leadership. Interim director Kia Selley has led the department since then. Her salary will be $215,000, according to parks staff.

Adena Long is Portland's next director of Parks & Recreation

In a statement, Long said she was honored to be selected following the nationwide search.

“Portlanders are passionate about their parks and recreation programs,” she said. “I look forward to engaging the community on the challenging and important work of the bureau.”

Just this week, Fish outlined some of those challenges.

The bureau, which has long had a deferred maintenance backlog, is also facing a structural budget crisis. Fish told The Oregonian/OregonLive this week that the bureau had a $6.3 million budget deficit in the upcoming fiscal year beginning July 1. Fish described the budget issues as a “persistent and acute structural problem” tied to the departments rising expenses and flat revenues.

In a statement, Fish said Long had “deep operational experience” and had developed a track record of “collaborative and innovative leadership.”

Long will start her position as parks director Feb. 19.

UPDATE: A previous version of this story indicated Office of Equity and Human Rights was still searching for a director. Commissioner Amanda Fritz has tabbed Dr. Markisha Smith, and she starts that position Feb. 11.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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