It’s been a hectic few weeks for this new editor.
There are the tasks I usually cover, like the local meetings and feature stories and photos for this newspaper.
And then, there’s a whole swath of new challenges that are my first time tackling them, like juggling content for our special sections or checking in with Jana, our advertising manager, about what our ads look like in a given week as to how many pages we might be, and do I have enough stories to fill that space?
As many of you read in the last few weeks, Margaret has stepped down as editor of this publication.
I’ve been managing this newspaper’s content since roughly September, with occasional assistance and guidance from Margaret in that time, as she managed our sister publication in Solon.
It was one of those times where more and more was quietly being dumped on my plate without realizing how much I was already doing most of the job on my own. Having one or two of these newspapers where everything that went into the pages was something I had touched in one of our processes was when I realized that. The week Margaret was on vacation was really a dry run as to, “Can I do this job as an editor?”
It’s a resounding yes, and a lot of that comes down to one of the points Margaret made in her own final column – this community is always there to support this paper.
If I needed to call on an additional photographer for the girls’ state volleyball tournament, we’ve had countless parents who have volunteered to help us get some amazing photos during the season.
When it comes to editorial voices, I have a nice swath of columnists who aren’t my own voices on this page (because if it was just me, it might just be talking about movies all day).
And then we have the news tips from the community. Some of them, like the Alger’s Pizza Palace 35-year anniversary, new businesses moving into the uptown or our area athletes doing well, you’re always right there and willing to share with calls to “Hey, did you hear about this?”
Thank you for making this one of the easiest decisions to make with your support of this newspaper. I know I have big shoes to fill in this transition, but you all make this one I’m thankful for having this year.
And a huge thank you to my former co-workers, especially Margaret, Jake, Crystal and Rich, and my current co-workers for their help and guidance.