Going to POLITICO

Well, the news is out there now: I'm leaving. Leaving the Democrat and Chronicle and leaving Rochester.

Last week, I accepted a print designer position at POLITICO. For anyone who has known me for just about any amount of time, it's not a secret that politics and newspapers are two passions of mine. This position at POLITICO will give me the chance to indulge both at the same time. I'm incredibly excited to take advantage of this opportunity.

The one downfall of this news is that (as I mentioned) I'm leaving Rochester. For over 25 years (a quarter of a century, geez ...) Rochester has been my home. My family is here, my friends are here, I went to college here, and I got my first real job here. Living somewhere else has never really been part of my plan. POLITICO is a new challenge that I just couldn't pass up though. I love Washington, D.C., and there's a presidential election right around the corner. Not taking this chance would be something that would have bugged me for a long time. And really, is there a better time than now for me to make this move? I'm not married. I don't have kids. And I don't own a house. Yeah, I do have an apartment I need to sublet now (psssss ... here's the Craigslist link ... it's a really nice apartment), but I'll figure that one out.

While the newspaper industry is changing and Gannett has made furloughs and layoffs a quarterly thing, I am truly grateful to my colleagues at the Democrat and Chronicle. I'm incredibly proud of everything that's been accomplished over the past few years. Having the chance to be a part of my hometown newspaper was an honor.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my journey so far. And thank you to everyone who has wished me well as I embark on the next part of that journey.