City councilors voted unanimously yesterday to confirm Raymond Lee as Portland's first long-term city administrator.

Why it matters: The city administrator is the most powerful unelected position in city government, overseeing staffing at more than 24 city bureaus, supervising day-to-day operations and managing the budget.

• Lee steps into a role created when Portland transitioned to a new form of government over the past year, and he replaces interim administrator Michael Jordan.

What he's saying: Lee said he spent some time in Portland ahead of yesterday's confirmation hearing and he heard a common theme among the people he spoke with.

• "Everyone is hungry for change," Lee told reporters after the hearing. "And not just to complain. They want to be a part of that change."

Between the lines: Several councilors asked Lee how he would help build trust between the city's legislative body and the mayor, where tensions have simmered over the budget and competing priorities.

• Lee promised to host regular meetings with councilors to keep them informed, especially on issues relating to the city's finances.

Context: Lee, 41, comes to Portland by way of Greeley, Colorado, where he had served as city manager since 2021.

• In Greeley, a city of 116,000 about an hour north of Denver, Lee oversaw some 1,600 employees and a budget of roughly $515 million.
• Portland, by contrast, has more than 7,000 city employees and a budget of $8.5 billion.

Catch up quick: Lee led several key initiatives in Greeley that made him stand out among the more than 100 people who sought the Portland job, according to a city press release.

• He helped launch two programs to help homeless residents transition to permanent housing.
• And he worked on the early stages of development for a $1 billion, 300-acre entertainment and housing district with an arena, hotel and transit hub.
• Lee also faced a budget crisis in Greeley similar to the one Portland worked through this year.

Lee used cash reserves and a hiring freeze to help the city climb out of a $21 million shortfall, per OPB.

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For the last 14 years, artist Chris Willis has set up more than 400 glowing Santa clones in an undisclosed location during the holidays and drops hints in the form of haikus via Instagram for Portlanders to find them.

• The clues are pretty easy, but the tradition can only live on if everyone keeps the secret — once you find 'em, don't share their whereabouts with anyone else (and don't post photos that make the location obvious).

If you go: The clones are illuminated daily from 4 to 11pm through New Year's Day. Happy hunting!

🐟 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is weighing whether to lower water levels in Detroit Lake to its lowest levels ever to aid fish migration, but locals are concerned about the impact on the sport fishing industry. (OPB)

💰 The Phil Knight Foundation donated $226 million last year — its largest year of donations to date — to a variety of causes, including $182 million to the University of Oregon for a new science campus. (The Oregonian)

⚖️ A conservative influencer plans to sue the City of Portland for $10 million over his arrest at a protest outside of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility earlier this year. (KOIN)

🏡 Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups — on leave from the team after he was accused of fraud and money laundering by federal prosecutors — has listed his $4.2 million Lake Oswego home for sale. (KATU)

More than 10 inches of rain fell in some areas of the Pacific Northwest over the last five days as the region was drenched by a deluge of moisture and strong winds thanks to a slow-moving atmospheric river.

Stunning stat: Portland shattered its historical rainfall record on Tuesday, picking up a total of 1.66 inches.

During the Oregon Leadership Summit this week, Mayor Keith Wilson set several ambitious economic and housing goals for the city to reach by 2030.

The mayor aims to bring downtown foot traffic back to pre-pandemic levels (activity this year is down roughly 40% compared to 2019), fill 2 million square feet of empty office space and build 2,500 new housing units in the city's urban core.

• Plus: He discussed his proposal to hire two dozen more police officers focused on preventing business break-ins and burglaries.

What we're watching: Wilson has set lofty goals for his administration before.

• He declared victory earlier this month after opening 1,500 new shelter beds in an effort to curb rising unsheltered homelessness, but many of those beds aren't occupied on any given night.