The Civic Capacity Countdown - Local Stories Matter
Tomorrow is an important milestone for Civic Capacity!
Happy Birthday Civic Capacity!
Tomorrow will mark one year when the first edition of this newsletter went out; 414 of our friends and neighbors welcomed this project by taking time to read that first post. Born out of an election defeat, this newsletter has become something more interesting and more fulfilling than I could ever imagine.
For starters, that base of 414 readers have grown quite a bit. Right now, we have 1,400 subscribers to this newsletter (which confidentially is more people than voted for me last May) and I am extremely grateful to the 62 individuals that have made a financial contribution by being a paid subscriber to this newsletter. That in itself is amazing.
When this started, one of my biggest concerns is that I didn’t think there would be enough to write about on my seemingly ambitious schedule of one edition every three days. I could not have been more wrong. This edition marks the 240th edition of this newsletter — almost double the goal that was originally set.
This newsletter had been read over 185,000 times, and our subscriber base includes readers from 43 states and 29 countries on all six continents; many of those out of state readers are folks who have grown up here and still consider this place their hometown!
And of all the substack publications that talk about the news, this publication is ranked #220. All of these numbers are just amazing, and I would not have believed that quantitatively, so much could be accomplished in just one year.
But this publication isn’t about the numbers, it’s about the stories that are shared. It’s about the decisions that are being made and the “how” and “why” those decisions are being made. I know many people are seeing this newsletter as filling a hole in local journalism. I can’t disagree with that, but I am no journalist or a reporter. I even shudder when people consider me a writer.
If anything, I have learned I am more of a storyteller — a chronicler of our times. I have learned that I have a unique talent to explain some of these decisions in an easy-to-understand manner. I also have a unique blend of experiences and knowledge, that help shape and add context to the decisions that are talked about. If I can’t tell you why a story is important —- what’s the point in telling it, right? I believe those experiences I have had help provide those valuable insights.
As Civic Capacity moves into year two, what can our readers expect?
Our readers can still expect analysis of the decisions being made by local government and explanations of why those decisions are important. Our readers can look forward to learning more about our collective history. Our readers can expect fair and honest commentary on our community. Our readers can also expect that our posts will remain free; the key to a strong community is that all our readers have access to the information that they need to make informed decisions.
As we look ahead, our paid subscribers can continue to have access to the entire archives of our work. This publication is also planning to have new opinion-based special editions for paid subscribers as well.
As we end our first year, thank you all for your dedicated readership.
Thank you for asking me about this project. Thank you for supporting this project, either as a free or paid subscriber. Thank you for commenting or sharing our work with your friends and neighbors.
Thank you for being a strong part of our community.
Happy Birthday!! I sincerely hope you consider running against “her” again. I voted for you and would vote for you again; unlike “her”, you have Troy’s best interest at heart and I thank you for that as 90% of Troy’s leaders do not.
Happy Birthday! I throughly enjoy reading the newsletter. You are absolutely correct in assessing your. ability to make confusing things much clearer. I find myself becoming more enthused about our community.