Few people get to live their dream in life.

For nearly 10 years, I did.

I discovered my love for journalism in eighth grade when, as a sports fan and with a crush on a boy who happened to be the sports editor, I joined my junior high school newspaper’s sports writing staff.

After a while, I came to realize I liked reporting much more than I liked that boy.

I stuck with the newspaper staff in high school, moving over to the news side, and by the time I was a senior, I was named editor of the Forest Hills High School Montage.

I remember telling my friends and family back then that someday I would be editor of a big daily newspaper. (Actually, it specifically was the USA Today.)

In college, I studied journalism. I wrote for and edited my college’s weekly newspaper.

After spending time working and living in various parts of Pennsylvania, ultimately I settled here at the Tribune Chronicle in 1995. I’ve worked here as reporter or editor in some capacity for nearly 30 years.

Assuming publication of The Vindicator in 2019 was extremely overwhelming, but incredibly rewarding, and I have loved every minute of it, mostly because I knew Youngstown and Mahoning County deserved to have a daily newspaper.

Indeed, journalists fulfill a duty as the fourth estate, contributing to a healthy society, watchdogging government and informing the public of what it needs to know.

As a child, I dreamed of being editor of a large national newspaper. But through the years, I came to realize that community journalism is even more valuable than national media. Where else can readers get their news on actions of city council or township trustees? Where else can they read local feature stories about their neighbors or read coverage of high school sports? Where else can they get in-depth listings of local deaths? Where else can they read varied opinions on local issues and even write and share their own thoughts?

Despite naysayers’ beliefs, the local newspaper still plays a critical role in local society, and as long as the free press maintains fair, accurate and balanced reporting, it will exist in one form or another and remain relevant and critically important.

Regular readers know I have been beating that drum in this column and also to my staff for many, many years.

As editor, I also served as a member of this newspaper’s editorial board, setting policy and sharing our position on important local and statewide issues. Every day we publish an editorial on our Opinion page criticizing or praising individuals or ideas. We offer commentary on how we believe our leaders should act or handle certain situations. We even often suggest how readers might consider voting in political races.

I still believe that role is very important, and I always encourage readers to share their opinions on the Sunday letters page or even in a brief Saturday soundoff.

But after standing on the sidelines, reporting and commenting on many, many issues for all these years, I’ve reached a point in my career and my life when it’s time for me to stop talking and start acting.

After living my dream as editor of this newspaper, I am stepping down. I have accepted a position with the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber where I will be working in the government affairs division. I will help to grow our Mahoning Valley’s population and increase the area workforce. That is critically important if we are to fill the many new job openings that will be coming our way, while also maintaining workers for small businesses that our region needs to thrive.

It’s a big undertaking, and I am very excited about working in a role that I believe is vital for our Valley’s success.

I strongly believe in my knowledgeable, talented newsroom staff and my enthusiastic, up-and-coming editors. I am convinced they will continue to move the Tribune Chronicle and The Vindicator in the right direction, and I hope readers will feel the same way. I, too, will be watching and reading.

I have loved serving this readership, I appreciate those who believed in and hired me as editor, and I sincerely value the relationships I have built, both in this Valley and in my newsroom.

Farewell and God bless.