I am writing a personal column this week (something I have seldom felt comfortable doing) to announce that this will be my last full edition as editor of the Skaneateles Press.

I am leaving to accept a job as a reporter writing for the Butler Eagle, a family-owned daily newspaper that serves Butler County, Pennsylvania — part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.

My decision to move was primarily career-motivated: the articles I write in my new position will simply reach a larger audience.

I don’t know if I am on a trajectory for the top of the journalism world, but I am still young and have the ability to pursue that path, so why not try?

A new editor of the Press has already been hired, and I will allow him to introduce himself to the community in due time.

I have enjoyed my time working in Skaneateles. As Press editor, I feel that I really became a part of the fabric of this community, despite the fact that I live 18 miles away.

In a little more than 15 months in the position, I reached the point where I recognized names and faces constantly. I don’t think I could spend 20 minutes walking around the village and not bump into someone familiar.

For the most part, the people of Skaneateles have been friendly and always happy to share information with the paper. As editor, there has been zero pressure on me to sensationalize stories in order to sell more papers or to get more page views on our website. Everyone already gets the paper, and for free.

With that in mind, I think that I have worked to bring the people of the community information and stories that they find interesting and that are important to their lives. Rather than reporting something simply because it happened, I think the job of a journalist should be to inform the readers why they should care.

When I think back on my time in Skaneateles, I’m sure the first thing that will pop into my head is the beautiful lake. But a close second will be my memory of being a part of a close-knit community of friendly, compassionate people.

Also, my single favorite Skaneateles memory is probably getting soaked while attempting to take pictures of the seniors jumping into the lake at the end of graduation last June. I first got wet from the splashes, but it also started pouring about a minute after the ceremony finished, so just about everyone in the park got wet that day.

By the time most people read this, I will be down to my final couple of days before I move on. If you want to reach me for any reason, you can still send an email to [email protected], and I will try to respond from my personal account.