The end of a year is always a time to look back, particularly when it aligns with a major life event. About a year ago on Jan. 6, 2023, I made the difficult decision to turn in my twoweek notice at my previous job at a small news outlet in Flint with no backup plan, going into limbo for three months before I found my new home at Leelanau Enterprise.
After my stint in local government reporting in Flint, I wanted to choose my next job carefully. I accepted a reporting position in one of America’s most dangerous cities precisely because of the challenge involved, but also because I went to college with the news site’s founder and studied with her after classes. In hindsight, I feel that I ignored some red flags.
Although staying between jobs for so long was stressful, my first day with Leelanau Enterprise made it clear that I got it right this time. The previous reporter, Eric Carlson, made his 25 years of reporting experience available to me and gave me a guided tour of the county after I came into the office.
The contrast with my last job in Flint was striking, where the publisher had to excuse herself on my first day for not having my things (including a laptop and keys to the office) ready, and then promptly disappeared for two months without assigning anyone to manage me in her stead.
My confidence in the publication and my colleagues has only grown over the last eight months. I want to thank my editor, Amy Hubbell, and publisher, John Elchert, for consistently supporting me and my fellow writers and being with us on “the front lines” at the office every day. After working for publications where this wasn’t the case, I don’t take it for granted.
Elchert recently invited Enterprise staff to a Christmas party at Nittolo’s where he recapped some of the accolades and awards that we received in 2023 and thanked staff for another year of hard work. While some of my other bosses have made some broadly similar gestures in the past, I felt our publisher went to a greater length to show his appreciation with a night out, so that meant a lot to me.
Elchert and Hubbell’s leadership has been invaluable as county government comes distressingly close to Flint City Hall. Fortunately, it’s not there yet — I encourage county residents to watch as much as they can of Flint City Council’s seven- to eight-hour-long meetings on YouTube to see how bad it can get — but it’s getting harder to believe all parties are putting the best interest of the county ahead of grinding axes against their rivals.
That said, I know that many people both inside and outside the county government center are hoping to see change for the better. I think officials and employees have the capacity for improvement and share in the hope that they realize that potential.
