Richard Brown, a longtime public servant who managed numerous municipalities, served four years in the Maine Legislature and retired as York County manager in 2012, died Saturday after a brief fight with cancer. He was 74.
Mr. Brown, of Ocean Park in Old Orchard Beach, was remembered by loved ones this week as a hard-working man who brought people together for the good of the communities he lived and served in.
As manager of York County from 2007 to 2012, he handled major county issues, budget development and management, strategic planning, labor negotiations and personal administration.
Before that, Mr. Brown served two terms as state representative for District 146, which includes North Berwick and South Berwick. In that role, he was a member of the state’s fire commission and a study commission for homeland security needs. He was also a member of the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee.
His daughter, Sue Ann Brown, said Tuesday that he worked hard to make a difference.
Mr. Brown spent more than 25 years managing various municipalities in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine.
He began his career in municipal government in the town he grew up in – Burlington, Massachusetts. He attended Burlington High School and was named class president, graduating in 1960.
He was named Burlington’s first chief administrative officer in 1970. In his four years as head of the town, the young leader advocated for Burlington’s first Fourth of July parade and Christmas lights on the common, which both continue today.
As town administrator in Bedford, Massachusetts, Mr. Brown advocated for sidewalks in town while protecting its green spaces. As manager in Lincoln, New Hampshire, he worked with town officials to support the construction of a water treatment plant. Town officials later named the facility after Brown.
Mr. Brown served as town manager of South Berwick from 1993 to 2003. He worked closely with all town departments, managed budgets, negotiated with labor unions, and performed administration and planning duties for the town. He was named town manager emeritus after 10 years of service and was given a key to the town.
His daughter said one of his greatest strengths was bringing people together to resolve problems such as collective bargaining disputes or budget shortfalls.
“He loved his job,” his daughter said. “He loved South Berwick and the people really liked him. He loved that he could meet a lot of different people and be influential in their lives and make changes for good. It was always important for him to give back.”
Outside work, he was a loving partner to Joyce Collins, his companion for 30 years. He enjoyed traveling, listening to organ music and spending time at the Ocean Park beach.
Mr. Brown was the father of four children. His daughter reminisced about the years the family gathered in Ocean Park to celebrate the Fourth of July. She said her father would always march in the parade with the Shriners, and that the Masons were important to him as well.
She also noted his sense of humor.
“When he was in the room, you knew he was in the room,” she said. “He was a person that brought people together and he brought us together as a family.”
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