Peoples

WESTBROOK — Ann Peoples, an At-Large city councilor and member of the Maine House of Representatives, died Tuesday at 72.

The news was shared officially Wednesday with city officials and employees. No cause of death has been disclosed, but Peoples had been ill for some time.

“She was very knowledgeable and caring of everyone in the city. Westbrook had her heart,” Council Chairman Gary Rairdon said Wednesday. “It’s really sad. I knew the day would come, I knew when she moved to the Springbrook Center things weren’t very good, but talk about a trooper doing her state and the city work” through her illness.

“She was truly a servant to the city and she will be missed big time,” Rairdon said.

Peoples was a five-term state representative in the Legislature, representing part of Westbrook.

Gov. Janet Mills served with Peoples in the House of Representatives and in a statement Wednesday noted how Peoples’ “devotion to the people of Westbrook shined in the halls of the State House.”

“Her fundamental belief in the power of public service inspired all those around her. I have lost a cherished friend and the state of Maine has lost a fierce lawmaker who made our state a brighter, better place. I will miss her dearly,” Mills said in the statement.

House Speaker Sara Gideon on Wednesday described Peoples as “a devoted public servant, a passionate advocate for her community, and a loving wife, mother and grandmother.”

“Ann spent her life, including her time in the Legislature, improving the lives of Mainers. Her passing is a tremendous loss to our state, and we will miss her deeply,” Gideon said in a statement.

People’s experience as a public servant goes back decades, with time spent on the Planning Board from 1996 to 2003, and served on the City Council from 1994-1996.

She was the Ward 4 city councilor from 2004 to 2006, and At-large councilor from 2016 until now.

“This is very sad news, and she will be sorely missed,” City Clerk Angela Holmes said.

Westbrook state Rep. Drew Gattine served Peoples on the City Council and in the State House.

“In 2003 I sat next Ann in my first term on the Westbrook City Council and then 10 years later sat next to her in my first term in the Maine House. She was a strong, intelligent and caring leader with a great sense of humor who taught me so much. I will miss her dearly,” he wrote in a Facebook posting.

This story will be updated.