Rosemount Will Not Be Destroyed

I’m a little riled up today. And with good reason. 

It appears my good friend, Derrick Williams, the local editor of Lakeville Patch, has developed a superiority complex and has issued a Facebook call to arms to his readers in an effort to destroy Rosemount and all of the other Dakota County towns Patch covers. And not just the towns, either. He’s out to destroy his Patch co-workers as well.

, Derrick wrote:

"My fellow Patch editors in the south suburbs of Dakota County are some of the nicest, most inherently decent, upstanding professionals I have ever had the privilege to call peers.

I must destroy them all. Yes, destroy them.

Lakeville Patch's Facebook page must have the most fans in all the land. And that means we must clobber the competition upside the wireless mouse."

Of me personally, he said:

“I taught him everything he knows...for a long time he was part of Lakeville Patch’s team. Now he covers Rosemount and is using everything I taught him to try and destroy me. This can not stand.”

Well, he’s partially right. I do cover Rosemount now. But truth be told, when I happily told him I had been assigned to Rosemount, his reaction was “Where’s that?” (Ok, not exactly, but it helps with this scenario.) And the thought of ‘destroying’ Derrick was utterly non-existent, at least until

Derrick is an excellent journalist that has covered the Lakeville area and Dakota County in-depth for more than seven years, so you would think he would know Rosemount has some formidable resolve. It’s only the most vibrant and fastest growing community in the region. To publicly challenge Rosemount should be a sure-fire path to embarrassment for the challenger.

And that is our mission. Derrick must eat some crow and have his little fantasy of self-proclaimed destiny destroyed. Publicly.

I admit I’m at a slight disadvantage because I’ve only been involved with Rosemount for a (too) short period of time. I’m the new kid on the Patch block as well as the new kid in town as far as Rosemount goes.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t show Derrick and our Lakeville friends a thing or two. We may be outnumbered in current Facebook ‘likes’ and general population base. But I have a feeling we’re unmatched in spirit and pride. That’s something I’ve learned on my own during my brief association with Rosemount.

So, how do we gain the upper hand and combat this unprovoked territorial assault?

Go to Rosemount Patch’s Facebook page and ‘like’ us. Not only will you stay current with what’s happening around town and in the area,  but you’ll be letting Mr. Williams know that Rosemount can’t be messed with. You have the power to stand up to the attempted tyranny of digital aggression and foil Mr. Williams’ plan to proclaim himself King of Facebook.

We’ll have a little help from our surrounding neighbors in Patchland as well. And while many of them have their sights set squarely on Lakeville, some (I’m looking at you ) have also expressed a desire to take our lovely little Rosemount town down.

Here’s the current tally from Derrick’s “Hit List”:

The HIT LIST (remember, Lakeville Patch is at 593):

• Boss level: Northfield Patch's leader, Corey Butler, Jr. (878)
• Too close for comfort: Apple Valley Patch's lovely editor, Allison Wickler (460) 
• Still kicking: Inver Grove Heights Patch's Jeff Roberts (417)
• Eagan Patch's David Henke (391)
• Mendota Heights Patch's Danielle Cabot (299)
• Shakopee Patch's Lisa Baumann (273)
• Burnsville Patch's Clare Kennedy (216)
• Rosemount Patch’s Troy Thompson (175)

We didn’t fire the first shot in this battle, but we can certainly defend our honor by garnering more Facebook ‘likes’ than Lakeville during this neighborly campaign. We don’t need to surpass them, just get more than they do starting now. And while we’re at it, we may as well send a message to the other towns, too. (I’m looking at you Jeff Roberts and Inver Grove Heights Patch.) Can’t hurt.

So rally your friends, acquaintances, neighbors and pets (we know there’s a few Facebook pets out there that like to stay informed as well) to help us “destroy” Lakeville Patch in their quest for Facebook domination. 

To once again quote Mr. Williams: “This can not stand.”

There can be only one.

Click here to make your 'like' be counted!