Dear Readers,
I would like to introduce myself as the first chief executive officer of The Concord Bridge. I have been working behind the scenes for a couple of months to transition the newspaper from a startup to a lasting, sustainable publication.
Though I live in Sudbury, I have many ties to Concord, having attended First Parish for almost two decades. Concord is where I shop, dine, attend events and art shows, get my hair cut, and seek medical care. I know how important a thriving residential, business, and cultural community is to a good life in the suburbs west of Boston.
I’ve toiled as a journalist and editor at daily newspapers and weekly and monthly magazines, some owned by The Washington Post Company, McGraw-Hill, and Dow Jones. I’ve worked at the local, state, and national levels, achieving my career goal of becoming a foreign correspondent when I was in the London bureau of the Wall Street Journal. I started the first magazine launched by The Economist Group in its then 150-year history and eventually moved over to the business side before joining a private equity roll-up that taught me how not to run a media company.
Right now at the Bridge, we’re working on our current staffing needs while implementing new systems to track editorial, book advertising, and improve print quality. We hope you like the design refresh in both the print and digital versions. Check out our web images — basketball star Muji Vader’s slowly moving portrait is a display inspired by The New York Time
We’re also upgrading technology and financial reporting and enhancing the data on our website, where you can now sort property assessments by value or address, for instance — a utility not available on the town site.
The importance of well-being
This week, we debut a regular monthly column on Aging Well by Concord author and psychologist Katharine Esty, 89, a nationally recognized expert with whom I’ve worked before. Your well-being is always important to us. We’re continuing our coverage of next week’s election, including giving Concordians voice in our Letters section. We’re gearing up for Town Meeting, too.
As we follow the town’s rhythms, we’re endeavoring to become a best-in-class nonprofit weekly newspaper that lasts forever because it’s finely tailored to reflect the vibrant, historic community of Concord.
In our institutional role as Concord’s newspaper of record, we are writing the first draft of history each week by accurately and fairly reporting on local happenings. Our independence and credibility remain essential to our educational mission.
In the next issue, I will talk about how the newspaper’s board has entrusted us with realizing its high-quality vision — and how much we need your help to do so. I’m enormously heartened by the support you’ve given our 18-month-old newspaper, and I’m convinced that if any community can achieve such lofty goals, Concord can.
Please continue to contact us via phone or email if you have any story tips. Kindly remember as well to donate on our website or mail us a check.
I am working with staff first and will soon be out for meetings and greetings in the community. I am very excited about our partnership and look forward to working with you.
Kind regards,
