Meet York County government's new executive assistant
- Tammy L Wells
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
ALFRED, Maine – Patricia Murray has always had an interest in civic engagement, helping people understand how government works – and being involved behind the scenes to make sure operations run smoothly.
Murray, Town Clerk in Berwick for the past decade, and who previously served in various municipal roles in New Hampshire, is now putting her skills and interests together at the next level of government, where she recently took up the role of Executive Assistant to York County Manager Greg Zinser.
The work sounded interesting, she said, and with an upcoming family move from the Berwicks to Biddeford, the position caught her eye.
“It piqued my interest,” said Murray. “Being Town Clerk gave me a deep appreciation for public service and how communities function. In my new role, I’m excited to support the leadership team and help things operate efficiently.”
Executive Assistant to the York County Manager is a role with a lengthy list of responsibilities, including assisting with project management, serving as a liaison between management and various stakeholders, analyzing information, organizing and maintaining records, and more. It includes arranging meetings and conferences, maintaining the county manager’s schedule, assisting the Board of Commissioners, and a host of other duties.
Murray said she was always interested in county government and had some interaction with county operations as a municipal clerk.
“Learning this sector of government is exciting to me,” she said.
Murray first became involved in local government in Franconia, New Hampshire, where a friend – their children ski raced together – served as the elected part-time Town Clerk of the mountain community. When her friend decided to pursue full time work, Murray ran for the 17.5 hour a week position and was elected. Ultimately, she served in a number of roles during her seven year career with the municipality.
Murray then became billing analyst for a telephone company, and later returned to her municipal career, serving as an executive assistant to a select board, processing tax payments, managing a municipal departmental budget and payroll, and serving as an administrative specialist with a city planning department in the granite state before making the move to Berwick.
She was chosen for the York County executive assistant position from a lengthy list of candidates.
“We’re glad Patricia agreed to join us at York County government as Executive Assistant,” said York County Manager Greg Zinser. “Her breadth of experience in local government – including municipal operations, government administration, records management and so much more, will be a huge asset to our county government.”
When she’s not working, Murray enjoys spending time with her two grandchildren, being in the outdoors and meditating. And she’s looking forward to living closer to the beach.
“I even enjoy shoveling,” she said with an eye toward the upcoming winter.
As to her life’s work over the years, Murray said she enjoys talking to residents on how governments operate and helping them understand the process.
“It has been a thread throughout my career,” she said, “helping people understand and trust local government.”
