Remember, when we began the Membership model back in August 2017, we said it was because when we retired we didn’t want the Town Crier to retire with us. The Membership model would, we all hoped, make the Town Crier a viable entity that could carry on into the future, just as long as you want it.
We’ve been publishing lists of the Town Crier’s Active Members, Renewed Members and New Members with the sub-headings “Saving and Supporting the Town Crier for our Community.” Well, you’ve all saved it! We are now able to pass the Town Crier on to younger ownership, which we could not have done without you. So now that you’ve saved it, those sub-heads will read simply “Supporting the Town Crier for our Community” in recognition of your ongoing support with new ownership at the helm.
An escrow has opened with Professor Samuel Edward Allen Hughes for the purchase of the Town Crier and its related publications. He resides in Poppet Flats and is a professor of philosophy at several local colleges. Professor Hughes is enthusiastic about keeping the Town Crier in the role of a community watchdog that is the sole monitor of eight local public agencies.
He subscribes to our view that a real newspaper publishes the bad with the good — it warns of danger, advises of opportunity, challenges authority, praises accomplishment, investigates irregularity, marvels at art, exposes abuse, celebrates lives and publishes its readers’ letters.
The escrow currently is set to close on June 1, and we expect that you will be meeting the professor on one or more occasions as escrow progresses and he is more able to dove-tail his current teaching responsibilities with Town Crier ownership and operation. Professor Hughes is enthusiastic about learning the current Town Crier operating ropes, and Becky and I will be working closely with him to impart what we have learned. We are optimistic that with his own experiences, he will lead an improved Town Crier into the future.
If you can attend the Wednesday, April 3, news meeting, we expect that you will personally meet the professor then. But we also will be introducing Professor Hughes to you in upcoming articles. Again, thank you all for your support. You made this possible!
You can keep the Town Crier serving our community as long as you want it.
