PORTLAND – The Maine Heritage Policy Center has hired Peter A. Steele of Auburn to serve as communications director.

Steele has worked in the newspaper industry for more than 25 years. Most recently, he served as the editor of the Twin City TIMES in Lewiston-Auburn, a weekly newspaper he founded in 1999. As he joins the MHPC team, he will turn over the reins of the TIMES to his wife and the paper’s co-founder, Laurie Steele.

“I’ve admired the work of MHPC for years, and I have watched the organization grow from a startup enterprise to its current position as the dominant voice of common-sense policy in Maine,” Steele said.

He is a member of the Androscoggin County Conservative Coalition, the Androscoggin County Fish & Game Association and the National Rifle Association. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Androscoggin Chamber of Commerce.

Steele and his wife live in Auburn. They have five children.