Fernandina Observer celebrates its three year anniversary

Susan Hardee Steger
Co-Editor
May 28, 2015 5:05 p.m.

“We will be different!” May 12, 2012

So how will the Fernandina Observer benefit our community? We will inform and educate, not confuse and mislead. When credit is due, we will build up our community, not tear it down. When issues arise that demand public attention, or if mistakes are made that demand accountability, you will be informed.

Three years, going on four! Anniversary celebrations provide those of us involved with the Fernandina Observer an opportunity to reflect on our past as we plan for our future.  Three years ago, I sent a high school classmate a link to the Fernandina Observer’s inaugural post with the following message, “I think we will fail.” An arm twisting lunch with a long time city watcher, Suanne Thamm, ended with the statement , “Without you, we will fail.” Early on our expectations were not high, but then volunteer reporters and avid readers joined us and cheered us on. We have exceeded our expectations and each year we celebrate continued success!

About two weeks after our 2012 beginning, tropical storm Beryl became our focus. We hit the ground running with reporters covering surf, wind, and water conditions. Our photos revealed damages to homes, city parks, and Bosque Bello Cemetery.  It was news while it was still news!

A chance encounter with city police at the only coffee shop up and running and with internet access to boot, allowed us to post a copy of the police officers’ recently completed damage assessment.

Google was our friend! When residents near and far, placed “Fernandina Beach, Tropical Storm Beryl” in their computer search field, the Fernandina Observer appeared at the top of the list. Now that was exciting. Our readership soared!

Suanne Thamm, reporter-news analyst,  continues to be the key to our success. Her knowledge of city issues, her writing skills, and dedication to the Fernandina Observer and our community deserves special recognition.  Suanne doesn’t rest.  She sets the standard for good reporting, and her excellent writing challenges us to do better.

Gerry Clare, roving reporter, was with us from the beginning. Deborah Lavery Powers, staff reporter; Karen Thompson, features reporter; and Anne H. Oman, reporter-at-large, joined us later. When the impact fee lawsuit began to make its way through the courts, Adam Kaufman stepped up as our legal analyst. Evelyn C. McDonald joined us this year and reports on our active arts and culture scene. Diverse topics help us reach a widespread audience, and we could not be successful without each of these individuals. Thank you for volunteering.

Deborah Powers took over the weekly email blast responsibilities spending long hours during the week to bring news to individuals who prefer weekly delivery over the more popular daily visits to our website.   She works hard to tweak and improve the delivery. We appreciate her efforts.

Two other individuals deserve our thanks.  We ask Eric Bartelt  to fill in for Suanne Thamm on occasion and he does a fabulous job reporting on city matters.  We appreciate his willingness to serve.  Larry Myers always says yes when asked to moderate our yearly city commission candidate forum.  Larry not only serves as moderator, but he helps us craft  the questions and does an exceptional job.  We are grateful for Larry’s support.

Our list of advertisers continues to grow.  We appreciate their support and we hope  you will support these local businesses.

When Doug Newton and I began this journey, our number one goal was to be a credible source of information. We recognized delivering news and opinion requires great responsibility and we continue to take that responsibility seriously.

Thank you for joining us, and for all of your kind and thoughtful comments.

“We are committed, and we will be different.”