By STEVEN JUPITER
My involvement with The Reporter began with a chance encounter. In spring of 2022, my husband, David, ran into Angelo Lynn, the publisher of The Addison Independent, on a walk through the woods. They struck up a conversation and Angelo told David he was looking for an editor for The Reporter, since longtime editor Lee Kahrs had left a few years earlier and Angelo had taken up the slack.
Before we came to Vermont in 2014, I’d worked in publishing in New York for 20+ years. Always my best booster, David gave Angelo my contact info. Angelo and I met for coffee, and he explained some of his ideas to keep The Reporter going.
One of those ideas seemed a bit daring but also worth a shot: convert The Reporter to an independent nonprofit community-based newspaper. Angelo hired Mat Clouser as editor, with the understanding that Mat and I would work toward making The Reporter a nonprofit. When Mat decided to step back in October 2022, I roped in George Fjeld and Barbara Ebling, and we agreed to form that nonprofit, to which The Addison Independent then donated The Reporter. We published our first independent issue as a nonprofit in December 2022.
And so began a remarkable experience that, unfortunately, comes to an end this week.
The last three years have been exhilarating, exhausting, and enlightening. I’ve been privileged to get to know my neighbors in ways I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. I took the responsibility to heart and hope my efforts made our community a more informed, more cohesive place, a place where we all take pride in each other’s accomplishments, help each other through difficulties, and come together to solve our common problems.
I didn’t do it alone.
First and foremost, my deepest appreciation goes to The Reporter’s Board and staff. George, Barbara, and I were the first Board members, later welcoming Mitchell Pearl and Shelly Williams. Both proved invaluable. George deserves special recognition for his behind-the-scenes efforts as Business Manager, an essential, stressful role that too often went unheralded. Our talented graphic designer, Sepi Alavi, and our fastidious operations coordinator, Kate Saunders, made a crazy, relentless job manageable and fun. Our delivery crew—Billy Bullock, Doug Robinson, and Sam Glaser—made sure the paper got to our readers. Thank you all.
We also owe profound thanks to the team at The Addison Independent, without whose continuous support we would not have been able to publish at all. Angelo, Christy, and Elsie Lynn, whose family has published The Independent for decades, went above and beyond to help us make a go of it. Even if we were not able to sustain operations indefinitely, their assistance made this experiment possible. I’d also like to recognize their News Editor, John McCright, for his unfailing generosity. Vicki Nollette, Jenna Hunsinger, Sarah Pope, Sean Dougherty, and Tom Van Sant also helped us with tasks large and small.
Our contributors merit a huge round of applause as well. Their submissions became the beating heart of the paper, with many of them developing followings of their own. There are way too many to list here, but special thanks go to Michael Dwyer, Sue Wetmore, Lyn DesMarais, Matt Aucoin, John Brodowski, Dasha Kalisz, Tiffiny St. Michaud, Jim Peck, Kevin White, Dale Christie, Kathy Mathis, Laura Peterson, Lorynda Fish, and Dave Praamsma for their regular and excellent contributions. All our contributors made time in their busy lives to share their talents, interests, and insights. I was always happy to open my inbox and see submissions from community members.
Recognition also goes to our elected officials, town management, town staff, and local educators who were always willing to keep our communities informed. This job would have been impossible without their help. Particular thanks to Dave Atherton, Seth Hopkins, Bill Moore, Sue Gage, Ann Reed, Helen McKinley, the Brandon Selectboard, the Pittsford Selectboard, Chief David Kachajian, Chief Tom Kilpeck, Ray Counter, Laurie Bertrand, Rene Sanchez, Kristin Hubert, former Rep. Butch Shaw, former Rep. Stephanie Jerome, Rep. Alicia Malay, and Rep. Todd Nielsen.
Thanks as well to everyone who agreed to sit down and tell me about their lives. It was a privilege to be entrusted with your stories. One of my greatest joys over the last three years was getting notes from people I’d written about who thought I had done right by them. It was a great feeling to bring recognition to folks who deserved it. There were many more people I’d hoped to write about, and I regret not being able to interview them all.
And, of course, thanks to everyone who subscribed to, donated to, bought, or simply read the paper. To all the people who gave us praise when we did well or let us know when we made mistakes. To all the people who sent us letters and story ideas or identified the folks in Mim’s Photos. All of you made a difference.
The purpose of a local paper isn’t simply to inform; it’s also to create a sense of shared experience and common cause. In a time of national divides, we need to remember that we are all neighbors and that the success of our community depends on our ability to remain united despite our differences. My experience on the paper has only strengthened my commitment to this community and deepened my conviction that we are all in it together.
From the Brandon Union (and others) in the 1800s to Mim Welton’s Dateline, Frank Farnsworth’s Bugle, and Roy Newton’s Reporter (which eventually came to us via The Addison Independent), there has been a newspaper in Brandon for almost as long as Brandon has existed. It’s distressing to end this tradition, but we’re hopeful that this will be just a pause. No specific plan has been made, but we’re optimistic we’ll be able to find a team to carry on after us. We will keep you updated on that progress.
So, thanks again, everyone. We hope you enjoyed reading our paper as much as we enjoyed putting it together.
