MARYSVILLE — Paul Brown began his tenure as publisher of The Marysville Globe and The Arlington Times on Jan. 3, but he’s no stranger to weekly newsprint publications.

More importantly, Brown doesn’t want to be a stranger to the communities that his publications serve, which is why he touted the continuation and expansion of The Marysville Globe and The Arlington Times’ ongoing focus on hyper-local news coverage.

“I want to bring more features into our special sections and more content into our papers that’s pertinent to our communities,” Brown said. “Right out of the gate, I’ve been looking to get more actively involved in the community myself. I look forward to shaking hands with our merchants, our mayors, the police chiefs and other citizens, and asking them what they’re looking for from us, so that we can better meet the needs of the community.”

Brown had joined Little Nickel Publications in May of 2000, becoming the top revenue producer for three years in a row from 2003-2005, before being promoted to the sales manager of the Everett Little Nickel in 2005. This past year, he’s served as general manager of The Marysville Globe and The Arlington Times, guide the two papers through many innovative and lucrative changes.

“We strive to be as objective and unbiased as possible, while keeping our content clear and concise,” Brown said. “The papers that have stayed strong in this industry have had a hyper-local focus. While other papers cover regional, state and national news, we’re the source of local people’s news about their own community, in both print and online through our website.”

With a career that’s included a six-year stint in the U.S. Air Force, which he left in 1980 as a sergeant in Strategic Command, before entering the media as in side sales representative with Trader Publications and the Employment Guide in June of 1996, Brown is no stranger to the challenges of a new job, and indeed, he looks forward to exploring his new role.

“I love learning and applying ideas in a tangible fashion,” Brown said. “Newsprint is in my blood, and I love seeing ideas become reality and receiving feedback.”

To that end, Brown welcomes community members to contribute their own ideas, whether for regular news stories or future special sections.

“Our goal is to keep the lines of communication open and honest,” Brown said.

Brown graduated from Eastern Washington University. He and his wife of 36 years, Joyce, have one daughter and three grandchildren.