(January 20, 1926 – Present)
Mitchell served as the executive director of the Urban Renewal Authority from 1961 until 1978. Mitchell was the face of Urban Renewal in Waterville, as he oversaw all operations and decisions, presented facts and updates to the city, dealt with legal cases, and answered questions from city officials and Waterville residents about Urban Renewal. Often times, Mitchell gave speeches to different organizations around the Waterville area such as the Insurance Women of Central Maine, The Exchange Club, and Waterville’s Lions to inform these institutions on how Urban Renewal will effect their specific organizations. Among these organizations there were also specific individuals, such as Rose Warren, who strongly protested the Urban Renewal process for various reasons. It was Paul Mitchell’s duty to properly address and hopefully resolve these issues in order enable the Urban Renewal process to continue smoothly.
Growing up in Waterville, Mitchell first lived in the Head of Falls area and then moved to Front Street. He graduated from Waterville High School in 1944 and registered with the Navy’s V-12 program at Bates College. When Mitchell was discharged in 1946 after World War II was over, he earned his college degree at University of Maine and went on to complete his master’s degree in education at Columbia University in 1950. After graduation Mitchell moved to New York and began working in sales for Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. Liberty Mutual then decided to transfer Mitchell to Boston for a short amount of time. Shortly after the move to Boston, Mitchell and his wife decided to move back to Waterville, where Mitchell began to work for a small company called J.B. Friel.
After just three years, the owner of J.B Friel passed away and Mitchell bought the company and renamed it GMH after the Goddard Agency merged with J.B Friel. Mitchell also became a member on the Board of Insurance Agents Association in Maine and worked closely with Senator Muskie, who was very interested in Urban Renewal during the late 1970’s. During Mitchell’s time as director of the Urban Renewal Authority, he was an active member in the Waterville community and lived on 13 Morrill Avenue. He was a member on the board of alderman, the president of the Maine Independent Insurance Company, and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Waterville Sewer District. Mitchell is currently the President and Chairman of the Board of GMH Insurance, located on 51 Main Street.
Willard Arnold Ronald Brown Richard “Spike” Carey Malcolm Fortier Cyril Joly Jr. Raymond Lemieux Donald Marden Paul Mitchell Robert “Bob” Thomas Bradford Wall Rose Warren Works Cited