A New Editor Takes the Reins

This week marks my last as the editor of Edmonds Patch. It's been a fascinating ride over the past year, but I've decided it's time to tackle new projects.

I joined Patch last October as one of 14 new editors in the Puget Sound region. In the year since, my colleagues and I have worked to launch brand new local news sites, develop content, and attract readers in our communities. It's the first time I've worked for a start-up, and it's been great fun to create something entirely new.

Working as a local editor for Patch isn't an easy job. I've learned the challenge of recruiting good freelance writers, juggling multiple story assignments and tasks, and maintaining on top of the news in our 24-7 internet age. But I also came to love the independence, variability, and ever changing nature of running Edmonds Patch.

I've chosen to move on at this time because I'm yearning to try my hand at new writing projects. As all of my former employers know, I love tackling long, in-depth stories. In addition to continuing to write a regular fitness column for the Huffington Post, I'll be working on magazine articles and a book project. My next feature story will appear early next month in the Seattle Times Pacific Northwest Magazine.

Though I'm sad to bid farewell to my Patch colleagues and all of you in Edmonds, I'm also confident that I'm leaving Edmonds Patch in good hands. My replacement is someone Patch readers already know: Brian Soergel, who has been writing for the site and serving as a guest editor now and then for the past year.

I believe Brian will be a perfect fit for the job, as he's both an Edmonds expert and a talented journalist. Brian has lived in Edmonds for 11 years, where his wife is a downtown bank supervisor. One of his daughters has graduated from Edmonds-Woodway High School, and the other is a junior and a member of the drill and pom team.  

Brian, who has a degree in English composition from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA, worked at the Press-Enterprise in Riverside and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Ontario, both in California, where he was an editor and reporter.

I look forward to being an avid Patch observer in the coming months and years. Thanks to all of you for joining me as readers during the inaugural year of Edmonds Patch!