New Hampshire's 35-Year Public Safety Commissioner Retires
Richard Flynn will retire and end a 35-year career as New Hampshire's public safety commissioner today when Gov. John Lynch swears in his successor, John Barthelmes.
Flynn has headed the Department of Safety, which includes the state fire marshal's office, EMT training, homeland security functions, and the Tramway and Amusement Ride Safety Bureau, according to a report published by The Citizen, a Laconia, N.H., newspaper.
When Flynn took office in 1972, he oversaw a motor vehicles division and the state police. Today, his department has 1,100 employees and a $130 million budget, the newspaper reported last Sunday.