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06/12/2024 08:30 AMFor the past four months, Richard Brown served has served as the interim town manager in Clinton. With his stint in town now finished, Richard took some time to reflect on an eventful few months in Clinton.
When Karl Kilduff, former town manager, announced that he was leaving Clinton effective in February, the Town Council needed to appoint an interim manager until a new full-time manager could be found. The town contracted with Randi Frank Consulting, LLC to help with the search and, during the beginning stages of the search, Frank asked Richard if he would be willing to step in to serve in the interim role.
“I’d been working with Randi for about two years and, as she was starting with the search in Clinton, she called me to determine my interest in helping in Clinton. It wasn’t my intentions to do this, but I decided to take the opportunity, and I’m glad I did,” Richard tells the Harbor News after a meeting on June 5.
At the end of May, the Town Council hired Michelle Benivegna to become the full-time town manager effective Saturday, June 10, ending Richard’s time in the interim role.
“I think the council selected someone that’s a good match for the town, and I think it will really allow for the town to be successful,” Richard says of the council’s selection.
Though Richard was only on the job for about four months, it was quite an eventful time in Clinton.
When Richard took over, Clinton was not only looking for a new full-time town manager, but also a finance director, and was right in the middle of budget season, too. As Richard prepares to leave Clinton, the town has filled both the manager and finance director positions and has also passed a new budget with little controversy.
“When I look back, my goal is always to leave a community in better shape than from when I started. Using that criteria, I’d say I’ve been successful in Clinton,” says Richard.
Richard credits Kilduff and the council members for their efforts in making the transition process as simple as possible.
“I like to thank the work they did, and it did lead to a successful budget referendum,” Richard says.
“This community made it easy,” he adds. “In particular, Executive Assistant Mary Schettino is a phenomenal representative of Clinton and is an absolute wealth of knowledge and extremely helpful.”
Richard’s journey to Clinton began when he was a college student and expressed an early interest in municipal politics.
“One of the things I determined very early on in college was I wanted to be in government. I wanted to understand how the process worked,” Richard recalls.
Two family friends with experience in local government recommended to Richard about how that arena could be a more rewarding career than working at the upper levels of government.
“You’re not only closer to the problems, but closer to the solutions, and you get more feedback good and bad directly from the people. You get to see the results of what you do, and you just don’t get that at the higher levels,” Richard says.
During his time in government, Richard’s work took him from communities in the southern United States to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New London.
“One thing I’m very proud of is there is not one building anywhere that has a plaque with my name on it. I don’t think a manager is someone who should stand out. I think a manager should take a good staff and help make them better and take a community [and] make them realize its full potential,” Richard says.
Throughout his career, Richard has been fond of discovering the unique characteristics of each municipality in which he’s worked.
“Each community is different. You will really enjoy your assignment if you get that and play into it instead of fighting it,” Richard says.
When it comes to Clinton, Richard says the first thing which caught his eye was the penchant its residents displayed for community involvement.
“I was surprised at how interested the community was in their town manager. People say things to you when they see you and ask questions. They’re really invested in what is going on,” Richard observes.
“My favorite thing about Clinton was how welcoming the town was,” he adds. “It’s a great council that, sure, may have minor policy disagreements, but they all want what’s best for Clinton, and there’s great department heads here who do a great job. I’m glad I took the job in Clinton, and I’m glad I was able to help,” Richard says.
In his spare time, Richard enjoys photography, reading, visiting Cape Cod, and spending time with his dog and grandchild.
Two years ago, Richard retried and began working with Frank in helping towns with executive searches. When asked what he would be doing now that his time in Clinton is finished, Richard replies, “I’m not exactly sure.”
“I’ll probably go back to Randi helping towns doing searches, but I’m almost 72, and I think I’ve earned a little break,“ he says.