When I returned to The Times in January of this year, it was with the goal and intent of helping new publisher Lane Gwinn and The Times staff achieve a shared vision of what The Times should and could be.

In my first editorial of this year I wrote, “Our hope is that our readers walk away from each issue with something new to think about, talk about or apply to daily life.” I think we have accomplished that goal, and I hope that you, our readers, do as well.

It is with some regret, that I announce this as my last full issue as managing editor of The Times. I have taken advantage of an excellent opportunity for personal growth and development back at the Columbia County Planning Department (where I worked before returning to The Times) and start there on Monday.

Unfortunately, the change was quick and unanticipated, requiring a swift transition at The Times. That said, I am confident in the publisher and current staff to continue the forward motion that we, and our readers, have so enjoyed these last months.

And frankly, what makes The Times so special is not the editor, the publisher or the staff – it’s our readers. YOU are what makes this a truly local resource and something that can’t be duplicated by larger publications.

The point that I want to bring home is that YOUR contributions are of utmost importance to the success of a thriving local paper. So please continue to send in your story and news tips, reader photos, Cheers!, letters to the editor and Time Traveler photos. It is through these submissions that The Times becomes a true community newspaper.

And I won’t be too far away. I will still be on hand to help with the unavoidable glitches and curveballs intrinsic to publishing and I still have a couple of stories that I have wanted to write, but never found the time.

That said, I do look forward to joining the ranks of The Times readers who check their mailboxes each week, waiting to be pleasantly surprised by what treasures will be discovered in the pages of our local paper. I have no doubt that I will continue to find something new to think about, talk about or apply to my daily life in each issue.