The editor I always wanted to be

NOTE: This is the column I wrote when I was named editor of the Tuscola County Advertiser, one of my lifelong dreams and a true honor. This was one of three columns I submitted that earned me title Best Local Journalist for the state of Michigan in the 2013 Michigan Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.

I never thought I’d be sitting down to write a column introducing myself as editor of the Tuscola County Advertiser … but suddenly, here I am.

I started writing at the Advertiser, the newspaper I grew up reading, on February 13 last year, two weeks to the day after I was let go by another company. It was another opportunity to start out at the bottom, but I am so thankful to be working for the Advertiser and the Vassar Pioneer Times, both newspapers that have deep personal significance for me. I didn’t know Amy Joles, but she gave me a hand up out of the unemployment line and gave me a shot at writing again, and for that she has my enduring friendship, respect and admiration.

Some hard feelings lingered from my former job, but I found Amy was exactly the person to help me get back on my feet and in the right frame of mind. She was encouraging, patient and at the same time not afraid to give me a kick in the pants when I needed it. It wasn’t easy getting back into writing after 18 months in a room with some of the most talented copy editors in the business. But those people had taught me much about the English language; and with Amy’s guidance, I started to remember how to write, cover meetings, and let the commas fall where they may.

As Amy’s last day approaches, I feel excitement as I think about the opportunity to be the editor that I always wanted to work with as a writer. But I’m also sad that Amy won’t be here, because I already had the editor I always wanted to work with as a writer. I thank her for staying to show me the ropes. She is leaving on good terms to pursue family interests, and I wish her happiness, good health and success.

I want to thank Tim Murphy for entrusting me with this position, and I think we have a shared vision for where we want the paper to go. I feel that we can do great things together. Thank you to all of my talented, dedicated teammates who handle their jobs with the kind of humility and compassion you won’t find anywhere in some organizations. This crew is loaded with brilliant, conscientious people – some of whom have the experience to help guide me and some of whom are just showing their first flashes of greatness, people whom I hope to help advance in their careers and perhaps help to improve their marketability as professionals.

I also want to thank my family for being there for me. It hasn’t been easy the past few years, and I am profoundly grateful for your support and I love you. Thanks also to my church family at Grace Lutheran in Vassar for employing me as your organist for the past four years and for rooting for me through thick and thin, and to my friends who’ve listened to me gripe and who’ve always built me up when I needed it and knocked me down a peg when I needed it. I couldn’t have done it without any of you.

I am looking forward to working with community leaders in Tuscola County, especially police, fire and municipal authorities to provide fair, accurate and impartial news coverage to our readers. I admire what you do as first responders; I don’t know that I could do your job. We cover what you do to dispel rumors and protect public safety by passing along the information you give us, and we value your time and cooperation. I know that you don’t do your job for a pat on the back, but I feel that standing on a 25-foot aerial ladder on a 7-degree January day holding a fire hose in a raw merciless wind deserves special recognition, as does responding to a car crash and doing your best to save someone’s life any day at any moment. I feel that protecting the public interest is a commendable goal, and I hope to be your colleague in that respect, and I would gladly accept any advice you can offer. I hope to maintain good relationships with you by continuing our efforts to accurately report newsworthy incidents and by working in close cooperation.

I’m looking forward to working with veterans and veterans groups, libraries, service organizations and anyone working to make our communities a better place to live. Thank you for all you do, and I can’t wait to help give you the recognition you deserve.

Most of all, I’m looking forward to meeting our readers and the people that help keep us going strong. I appreciate any feedback I can get, so if you have any story ideas, photos or comments, you may contact me at petzold@tcadvertiser.com. It’s going to be a busy first few weeks, but I’m hoping to get out and introduce myself to as many people as I can.

See you soon.

P.S. – And a very special thank you to Rudy Petzold. He and my late grandfather Norman Edward Petzold were first cousins, so my dad Norman William Petzold of Millington is his second cousin and I am his third cousin. It is very humbling to accept the job that I always thought looked so cool when Rudy did it. We are different people, but after sitting and talking with him Wednesday morning I think we have a lot of the same goals. It is my hope that my teammates and I make the paper our own while keeping in mind and heart a deep respect for the talented people who have breathed life — their own lives — into this newspaper and kept it strong for many years. Thank you.