Hello Loyal Readers,
It is with a heavy heart that I must close this blog. After five years and over five hundred posts, I . . .
WAIT WHAT?
Yes, I’ve accepted a position with the City of Ferndale as their Communications Officer (provided the council approves my contract), filling part of the hole left by Sam Taylor’s departure. I will be handling their website, social media and public relations and it would be inappropriate for me to keep running a highly political blog like this, so I am shutting it down.
AH! This explains why you posted that nice interview about Jon Mutchler. Whatever happened to that?
I interviewed Jon Mutchler a few weeks back because of his work on the Charter Review, and he was the one who reminded me that Sam Taylor was leaving. I reached out to Gary Jensen, and interviewed for the job.
I posted the interview but the timing looked TERRIBLE so I pulled it down. For those of you who thought I was too generous to him, my interviews tend to be rather gracious profiles, no matter the subject (see Bill Knutzen, Kathy Kershner, Ken Bell, Kelli Linville).
So no more blogging? What about posting that article about oil trains/the new jail/Agenda 21?
I’m afraid I’m done for now, however I really recommend you check out Northwest Citizen (click here) for the best insider dirt, Politics Whatcom (click here) or Bellingham Politics and Economics (click here) for the nerdy technical stuff, the Whatcom Watch and the Cascadia Weekly for formal news articles and of course, some of the new local public affairs media emerging like “Hour of the Wolf” hosted by Stephanie Kountorous (click here or click here).
So what are you going to do with all your free time?
My wife and I are finally developing a radio serial called, “Bellingham Terror” set in 1935 Whatcom County that will eventually air on KMRE 102.3 FM. We are also looking to start a family, which I’m told can be a bit time-consuming. Finally, my wife’s photography business, Sweeney’s Portraits, continues to expand.
What about all this material you have on your blog?
The site will stay up, so you may peruse the archives at your leisure. I stand by the work I’ve done and I want it to be accessible for anyone who wants to see what has happened in months past.
So that’s it?
Not quite. I want to thank all my devoted readers and donors who have supported me over the years. Your enthusiasm and financial support has allowed me to produce this site and I am forever indebted to you.
Thank you to my guest writers (Tim, Elise, Jeff, and others) who helped fill these digital pages. I would like to thank John Servais, for his mentorship and Deb Gabers for her editor’s pen. Deb is perhaps the most invisible part of this blog, but she heals my chunky awkward sentences and makes me sound coherent.
Finally, I’ve been watching and commenting on Whatcom County politics for half a decade, a mere blip compared to most of my readers. That said, here is my two cents:
Politics is serious business. The decisions made, especially at the local level, directly impact the lives of those around you, however that does not mean that people should take themselves so seriously.
My hope is that everyone who read and participated in this blog will remember to chuckle once and a while because there is nothing stranger, or funnier, than real life.
Especially when it comes to small town politics.
-Riley (and Bryna) Sweeney