Editorials like these are never easy for me to write. But I will attempt to do so anyway and hope you will bear with me.

Let me take a few moments of our readers time and a bit of space in the pages of The Marysville Globe and The Arlington Times to say “farewell” and Godspeed. Marysville, Tulalip, Arlington and Lakewood are communities that I have grown to love over these past 4½ years. As I commence to write the last chapter of my professional career, I wanted to reach out to you, our valuable readers, to express my appreciation for allowing me to be a part of your communities.

I have accepted an opportunity for a new adventure within the Sound Publishing family. Beginning the first week of August, I will take on a new role with The Kirkland Reporter newspaper and their digital products. This new position will be a challenge for me (old dog, new tricks). But it is one that I look forward to taking head on.

During my 16-plus years with Sound Publishing, I have been provided with many new and challenging opportunities. Never before in my career did I ever believe I would be a newspaper publisher for not one, but two newspaper titles. And the “icing on the cake” for me was that I got to work here representing our titles in Marysville, Tulalip, Arlington and Lakewood. It’s been fun and challenging to help grow these two publications into the successes they are today. And I have thoroughly enjoyed my time working with this staff to create some interesting and fun special supplemental products. Many of them were inspired by you, our readers. Over the course of the 120-plus-year timespan of both The Globe and The Times, we have been recognized with numerous awards. Most recently was 2015 when we brought home 13 Washington Newspaper Publishers Association awards including First Place Best Festival/Events Special Section for our rendition of the Strawberry Festival official program. Steve Powell, our managing editor, leads the editorial team of reporters Kirk Boxleitner and Brandon Adam. This group of professionals has taken our award-winning editorial presence to new levels every year.

And my sales team JoAnn Flynn and Nancy Anderson, led by sales manager Jody Knoblich, have built our titles to where they are fiscally healthy and continue that growth each year.

As a newspaper publisher, I’ve also experienced some of the community heartaches along the way. And I got to see firsthand how the citizens pulled together fast and strong. First was the Oso landslide. Then came the tragic shooting at M-P High School. What was uplifting to me was how each community rallied together under each circumstance to help one another. I will never forget the Saturday I spent in the parking lot at the Cabela’s store in Tulalip cooking and serving hot dogs for a fundraiser for the victims of Oso. We cooked so many hotdogs. I’ve never seen that many. So often, people didn’t even want the hot dog lunch… They just donated to the bucket and walked on. One gentleman pulled up in his truck, handed me a check for $2,000 with instructions for me to put it in the bucket. He left saying, “Thanks. Have a good day, son.”

I am a firm believer that newspaper publishers are obligated to give back to the communities they serve. I have tried to do that to the best of my ability by donating my time and resources where possible. For example, I have had so much fun working with the Board of Directors of the Marysville Strawberry Festival over the past four years.

I was honored to serve as the 2016 president. My fellow board members and the many volunteers have taught me what community spirit really is. Though we sometimes didn’t have a clue what we were doing, and we sometimes had disagreements, we always seemed to pull off a festival that was a crowd-pleaser. I will miss participating as a board member, but, my wife and I will continue to be Maryfest members and volunteers. So we will see you at the Strawberry Festival next year.

I have been honored to donate advertising space to many worthy organizations that serve our community. And, my personal special “pet” project has been our annual October Breast Cancer Awareness special section titled “Think Pink”. For four years, we have taken a portion of the advertising proceeds and donated to our friends at the Cascade Valley Hospital Foundation. The foundation has told me how these funds have benefited several local women who did not have the financial resources for annual breast health care exams. It has been my honor to be a small part of that assistance to our neighbors. And I can assure you that this tradition will continue.

I have made many business and personal friends here. Most of these relationships will be lifelong. I am thankful to the Marysville Tulalip Chamber of Commerce for their invaluable help they provide to our area businesses. And I am proud to have served on this chamber’s board of directors for two years. Thank you Jesica Stickles for your leadership and support of the community as well as your friendship. And to the members, management and staff at the Arlington Smokey Point Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Arlington Business Association, I am grateful for your friendships and the valuable service you provide. You guys are the life blood and leadership of the area businesses. Thank you so much for your dedicated and professional work.

And a very special “thank you” to two dear friends I’ve had the pleasure of knowing and working with – Mayor Jon Nehring of Marysville and Mayor Barbara Tolbert of Arlington. You both have taught me so much about community government affairs. And you both exude a remarkable affection for your communities. I am inspired by your enthusiasm and creativity. Best wishes and congratulations to you both on jobs well done and jobs yet to do.

And I would like to give a big shout out to a terrific editorial professional, Steven Powell, our managing editor. Steve has taught me more about the editorial “ins and outs” of newspapers and related digital products than I ever could have imagined.

Thank you Steve for sharing your knowledge and experience with me. You have made me a better newspaper man.

But most of all, thank you to our area businesses and our loyal readers. I am forever appreciative and grateful. All the best, may God bless!

Paul Brown is the outgoing publisher of The Marysville Globe-The Arlington Times.