By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
SCARBOROUGH — After working 13 years for Northern Maine Development Commission, Brian Longstaff has taken a new job as zoning administrator for the town of Scarborough.
Longstaff accepted the position in July.
“I learned of this opportunity back in April and it just intrigued me … the idea of getting back to my roots in a building trades-related field, having been a draftsman and land surveying technician earlier in my career, followed by six years at Steelstone Industries,” he explained. “I transitioned into code administration for the town of Houlton in 1998, and worked as a part-time code enforcement officer/local plumbing inspector for New Limerick, Littleton and a few other towns for the last 13 years.
Contributed photo
MOVING ON — Brian Longstaff has accepted a position with the town of Scarborough after 13 years with the Northern Maine Development Commission.
“At NMDC, I worked with many communities on comprehensive plans and land use ordinances, and we assisted planning boards and boards of appeal with training workshops and consults,” he said. “Taking this experience and applying it in a community of 20,000 people in southern Maine after living and working my entire life so far in Houlton really presented a unique challenge and an exciting opportunity. I never really thought that I would be offered the position, and that the offer would be good enough for me to accept, but when it happened, I felt fate was telling me this was what I needed to do.”
Longstaff joined NMDC in October of 1999.
“It has been a tremendous experience working with so many of the businesses and communities in Aroostook, northern Penobscot and Washington counties. NMDC provided a supportive and dynamic environment where we were encouraged to be creative in finding solutions to help our member communities and businesses grow and improve, and in some cases thrive or just survive … whatever the situation, we tried to find a way to meet their needs and expectations.”
Longstaff had mixed emotions when it came to leaving NMDC.
“I will miss the people I worked with very much,” he said. “I feel like I’m leaving the work unfinished in a way. However, I think the nature of my duties at NMDC would never allow me to feel like the job was ever done. Northern Maine will always face new problems and challenges, but the commission will hopefully always be here to meet those challenges. I’ll also miss the relationships that I made with businesses and towns along the way, and the many groups and organizations that we partnered with on initiatives and projects. Northern Maine is full of terrific people and I’m proud to be from The County.”
Looking at his new position, Longstaff wants to help bring positive change to the Planning and Codes Department in Scarborough, which is what the current administration also wants to see accomplished.
“My focus will be on customer service, making sure that we are dealing with people in a more effective and sensitive way, while still maintaining a high level of compliance with all of the regulations that help protect public safety and the environment,” he explained. “In order to do that, I have a ton of things to learn about the community of Scarborough. It has such a vibrant economic and social atmosphere, and there are so many unique natural resources there including the coastal marshes, beaches, dunes, and rivers. There are also seven distinct villages in the town, but no true downtown like we have in Houlton.”
Longstaff’s responsibilities include being the first contact for the public seeking information on zoning and permitting issues, providing assistance to those applying for building and land use permits or variance appeals, fielding questions on the town zoning ordinances, floodplain management, and building codes.
“I am staff liaison to the board of appeals and make periodic reports and presentations to the town council and other appointed committees regarding possible zoning amendments and ordinance updates. I also deal with complaints and ordinance violations,” he added.
After a month’s time, Longstaff said he definitely “sees this as a long-term relationship,” but one of the most difficult decisions he and his family have made is leaving the Shiretown.
“We love this town, but we also like to experience new things and challenge ourselves,” he said. “We also feel that our kids both have interests that may very well take them to parts outside of the County, so this is partly to be a little closer to where we expect they’ll eventually land both during and after college. We never really planned to leave Houlton; we actually had no plan, I guess, but once we sat down and considered all things, we realized that this actually made sense for us in so many ways. I’m really proud of my wife, Darlene, and our families for being so receptive and supportive of this decision. It motivates me to be as successful as I can be at this new position.’
Houlton will always be ingrained in Longstaff.
“It’s my hometown, the place I was born, the place where my parents and grandparents are buried, the house where we raised our kids, and our dear friends and family members are here,” he said. “I’ll always be from Houlton and we’ll always be from The County. I’m proud of my roots and the friends I have here … that will never change. As strange as it may seem, I think that if I can do a great job here in southern Maine, in a small way, it also reflects well on Houlton and the County.”
