Editor's Notes: Parting is such sweet sorrow

This is the final column I’m writing as editor of this newspaper.

I have accepted an exciting job as managing editor of a daily paper outside Charlotte, N.C., starting Aug. 18.

The opportunity is wonderful for me personally and professionally, but I leave this week with mixed feelings. I’ve grown attached to the unique, passionate people in the Santa Cruz Valley, so it’s hard to disengage after nearly two years of sharing your joys and sorrows.

My family and I are returning to the beautiful, fast-growing neighborhood we left in 2000 after I stepped down as assistant sports editor of the Charlotte Observer to be sports editor of the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson. We’ll be getting reacquainted with old friends and former destinations for the next couple of months. We’ll be introducing ourselves to new neighbors and figuring out the issues, trends and concerns in the Tar Heel State.

Charlotte is the most dynamic and important city in the New South, a financial, transportation, research and education mecca with thousands of fascinating stories to pursue and analyze. I’ll have a chance to help newcomers and longtime residents cope with rapid change and make informed decisions by delivering an outstanding newspaper every morning.

I’ll be working for the Independent Tribune in Concord and Kannapolis, N.C., a community that lost 4,000 manufacturing jobs when the textile mill Pillowtex closed in 2003. The area has reinvented itself as a center for biotech research. The $1.5 billion North Carolina Research Campus started rising on the former Pillotex site in 2005.

I am going to miss the daily interaction I’ve had with readers of the Green Valley News and Sahuarita Sun very much. I’ve worked at newspapers from Miami to Seattle and Phoenix to Charlotte during a 30-year career in the media, but I’ve never met readers more interested in their community than you.

Here’s a partial list of things I really liked in Green Valley:

More than 90 percent of voters go to the polls during election years. Residents care and make their voices heard by writing letters to the editor and op-ed pieces for the newspaper. I expected dozens to interact with me. I was surprised to find the number was more in the hundreds who wanted to know more about me and the newspaper. For that, I am grateful.

The Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions and other service clubs make a difference in the quality of life. Kiwanians are dear to my heart because of their devotion to children and building future generations of leaders. Support their charitable efforts, especially when you see them in the community raising money.

The spirit of compassion extends beyond churches and charities. Retirees volunteer hundreds of hours each week, for example, so Green Valley Recreation can have some of the finest facilities and amenities in the country.

My publisher, Pam Mox, lives up to her promises and makes work fun. She never shies away from tough editorial positions and cares about everyone in the community. I am going to miss her more than anyone, although my new publisher in North Carolina, Terry Coomes, embodies many of the same qualities.

I am going to miss working with staffers Mario Aguilar, Regina Ford, Jaime Richardson, Nick Prevenas, Pat Rueter, Karen Walenga, Jim Lamb and Phil Franchine and freelance writers Ellen Sussman, Corky Simpson, Kathy Engle, Adrienne Mackey and Mary Ann Linforth. All made my job smoother. This was the first job I’ve had where I looked forward to coming to work every single morning. The person who inherits my chair will be in good company.

Our production staff did not miss a deadline on the News or Sun, a tribute to manager Graham Harrington and three specific news designers, Terry Motycka, Brittany Hebert and Eric Tobias.

In North Carolina, I am looking forward to seeing more professional and college sports in person. My son, Blake, loves NASCAR, and we’ll be living about 10 minutes from Lowe’s Motor Speedway. My other son, Zach, loves basketball, and we’ll have the NBA’s Bobcats and about six college teams within driving distance during the season. Zach wants to know Davidson College’s Stefan Curry (the star of last year’s NCAA Tournament) on a first-name basis.

Arizona is nearly impossible to leave. I like the people. I like our friends. I like the newspapers (especially this one, the Star and The Arizona Republic). I like my kids’ schools and teachers. I like the climate. I like keeping up with the politics. I enjoy watching the sports. I like my neighborhood. I like the food. I like volunteering.

I have every reason to stay and every reason to go.

I’ve come back to Arizona twice previously in my career. The allure is powerful.

But for now, the challenge and opportunity are great and exhilarating. The staff in North Carolina, I am told, can’t wait until I get there. So I am packing my bags and cleaning out my desk this week.

Thank you for your support and encouragement. I’ll miss you.

Contact Editor James Bennett (through Saturday!) at jbennett@gvnews.com or 547-9770.