Wyandotte Patch Editor Says Goodbye — Sort Of

Dec. 13, 2010, will be a day I'll never forget.

It's the day that Wyandotte Patch was launched. It's the day my career journey with a new company kicked into full speed.

"Wyandotte Patch? What's that?" was heard countless times during our first year.

But now, we're more likely to be referred to as "The Patch" as people have become familiar with us and our sincere intent to tell stories about Wyandotte 365 days a year. 

You've embraced the site with open arms, always answering our calls for help, whether by adopting a needy child at Christmastime or by attending a Patch charity event.

You've rallied together in bad times, offering work for those who lost their jobs in the devastating fire at Lions & Tigers & Beers Sports Club and by raising thousands of dollars to support the family of Jacob Marion, the Roosevelt High School freshman critically injured after being struck by a train.

You've bonded in good times, by lining Biddle for the Wyandotte Street Art Fair or by crowding the downtown area for one of the many Third Friday festivities.

You've shown what a true community Wyandotte is, which is essential to a successful Patch site. You are proud to tell others what's going on by posting event notices to our community calendar, by writing announcements when your new baby is born and by blogging about whatever is on your mind.

It's all about building a comprehensive community conversation that everyone can get involved with and benefit from.

And that's why it's hard to say goodbye. You've truly inspired me by the amount of passion, friendliness and cooperation that you've brought to the site over the last two years.

Sunday will be my final day as editor of Wyandotte Patch. I've accepted a new position with the company that will now have me focusing on community engagement and outreach for a cluster of nine Patch sites throughout Wayne and Macomb counties.

That's where the "sort of" comes in with my goodbye.

You'll still see me around as Wyandotte is one of the sites I'll be working with, but the day-to-day operations of the site will now rest with Nate Stemen, editor of Trenton-Grosse Ile Patch. He can be reached at 734-250-4451 or at nate.stemen@patch.com. 

Thanks, Wyandotte. It's been a great ride. I'll see you around town.