Ending It: 6 of 1, Half-Dozen of The Chronicle

A lot of Ann Arbor citizens are going to miss the detailed coverage of the City Council meetings. “That’s all from the hard benches” became an iconic phrase locally.

But most of all, Bezonki will be missed.

Aww, I’m sorry, you guys! You’ve contributed a remarkable amount to the city. Thanks for it all! Looking forward to seeing what the future holds for you both. You have a lot of fans.

Would that some change would occur to make this ending not happen! But that’s beyond my control. So let me congratulate you, Mary and Dave, for what you’ve provided this community.

Kudos for providing more information about what goes on in the meetings of elected officials than was ever possible before, except perhaps to those who could attend all the meetings. And those who attended meetings could not possibly remember all that happened. Your reports, with links to background information, are far better than any minutes ever were.

I have appreciated being able to determine who voted which way for which articulated reason–and to compare that to later statements by those who voted.

Your charts, graphs, and interactive maps provided a whole new perspective on what’s going on in this city. Your links to official websites are invaluable connections between your reporting and the official documents.

You helped citizens understand where they can find information about what the city, townships, and county bodies are doing.

Finally, you have exemplified what you asked of us: BE GENEROUS. You were. I hope the community can reciprocate by BEING OPEN, even if we have to do that without the AnnArborChronicle.com. You set a high standard! Who can match that????

Margaret

I am sad to read this, but I do understand and I thank you so much for keeping me informed these past six years. Enjoy your next chapter!

Dave and Mary,
I’m going to miss the Chronicle! Best wishes on your next endeavor.

Mary and Dave,

Your work has made a immeasurable difference in the civic discourse in our community. Through your passion and dedication you have fought for transparency and process to allow the public to be informed. Democracy lives because of people like you.

Having said that, your genuine letter outlines an incredibly brave move for both of you. So often people (like me) get caught up in all the stuff they are doing only to forget themselves. You are stepping out of the “race” to take time to do what you need to do. I don’t know if there is any better way to live! I deeply respect your decision.

Thank you both for the last 6 years and blessings to you for your future endeavors! See ya around town! -Yousef

I am devastated – even as I am amazed that you lasted this long.

An appropriate response requires more than I am able to give at present.

With tears blurring my eyes, I write this, but, as I have always said- to myself, to numerous others, and to you–I don’t know how two people manage to do so much so well. To me, “The Ann Arbor Chronicle” was always a superhuman accomplishment, and we your readers are very, very lucky to have had both of you as writers/editors/owners of this splendid online medium for six whole years. All my best for tremendous success in your future undertakings. You will be missed!
/anna

When Dave Askins shared the news with me last night, my response was also DEVASTATED.

The Chronicle has been my north star since it began publishing. I have trusted that – even when I wasn’t in the room – the Chronicle was there, recording the facts and (sometimes) offering a valuable point of view. No media has watched local government do its messy thing with a clearer eye. No better record could exist.

Your ability to report accurately and extensively has been impressive. Your emphasis on transparency in government has absolutely improved our community. You have been a witness – and have thus created a coherent record for those not able to be in the room, or not able to step outside the fray and see the big picture.

I am feeling selfish this morning rather than generous – selfish in the sense that I feel the loss, and think it is about me. But it isn’t. It’s about you – your time, your goals, your needs. And I honor you for having been there for six years.

Now, about that pedal-powered snow brush . . .

Impressive and awe inspiring from start to finish! Congratulations on a spectacular run and knowing when to say when! Best wishes!

Thank you for six years of thorough news coverage. Very so often I would give thought to the number of hours the two of you devoted to the Chronicle. My very best to you both as you celebrate another year of marriage and to your future! Again, thank you!

Thank you, Dave and Mary—you have been wonderful and while the Chronicle will be missed, you will still be there and much valued, whatever you do.

^^^^What they all said.

“who believed that The Chronicle’s approach to local journalism made Ann Arbor a better place to live.”

And still do believe that.

Thanks and best wishes.

It is very sad to hear this news, your performed a wonderful service
to this community that will be sorely missed. You did a fantastic job.
Hope some young people would want to take it on. We understand that
you want to enjoy life in a more restful way. You will be sorely missed.

Thank you and best wishes for your next journey.

Odile Hugonot Haber

Oh my. I am shocked. Dave and Mary it has been a pleasure working with professional journalists. This town will surely miss your excellent reporting and observations. I totally understand the all consuming commitment you made and your wish to move on to new ventures but all the loss for us. Best of luck. We will miss you.

Dave and Mary,

You are to be commended on this six year run. The Chronicle is classic, top-notch journalism done with fairness, honesty, and integrity. Best wishes on the new phase of your lives.

Oh, no! Now there won’t be any truly professional journalists covering local government happenings in any useful depth. I fully understand your decision, having sat on those hard benches for hours and for years, but the loss of information, perspective and rational discourse will leave a void that can’t be easily filled. Thank you. And best of luck in your next endeavors.

No! Say it ain’t so! Totally understand why. But you will leave a serious void at a time we need it the most. I wish I could seriously induce you to stay, but the necessary inducements (okay, bribes ;) ) would be more than any resources I can possibly give. Good luck and bless you for six years of keeping us informed. :.-(

Thanks for bringing the often tedious business of local government to light. Your service to the community has been extraordinary and much appreciated.

Damn.

And thank you.

-Mark

Ouch.

I’m very grateful for your six years of accomplishment. I’ll miss the Chronicle.

Thank you for the shoutouts to my blog over the years….knowing the magnitude of your talents, I am sure that you will still be a part of what’s going on even after the Chron is done. It will be missed.

For Ann Arbor to be a better city, the public needs to be educated on the issues. You not only reported, you educated us very wll. I hope you remain in the public realm with your insights and intelligence. Fondly, Peter & Sally

Thank you. Enjoy what comes next.

There is no way to replace the national-quality reporting that the Chronicle provides.

Too bad. Oh, too bad.

Mary and Dave -I am crushed. I will miss seeing you at meetings, and greatly miss reading reports of meetings where you attend for me. Beginning now, I will only half know what’s going on in City Hall. You gave us details that we need to know, never just soundbites. Dear friends, enjoy whatever you do next – you have earned doing what you want to do. Eppie Potts

It really makes me sad.

You are the only source of reliable, accurate, consistent and well-written information in this area. You have raised important questions and done important analyses of important issues.

Everyone says: “I read it in the Chronicle”, and then goes on to talk about the issues and the questions.

You’ve created a detailed archive of the operations of government that has made Ann Arbor a better place.

Thank you. I’ll miss you a lot.

Barbara

I understand, I really do, but it’s a sad day for our fair city. European cities occasionally identify people as permanent honorary citizens. If Ann Arbor were to begin such a practice, it would start with Mary and Dave.

The Chronicle has been such an amazing gift…through your words I’ve learned much more about my home town of 38 years…and I thank you both. Best wishes as you move on to your next adventure! (And do keep us posted on that snow brush…)

This is sad news for our community; yet welcome news for Mary and Dave (to an extent). When a small business closes so do the hopes and dreams that accompanied that business. The business owner is taking a different path and for the community that leaves an unmet service that will be missed, but usually it is not detrimental to the health of the community.

Unfortunately, this news is far different. The closing of The Chronicle will reverberate far and wide in this community. The less access we have to what our representatives are doing will breed misunderstanding and the dissemination of misinformation. The dedication that Mary and Dave have shown to our community has made us a stronger, more supportive and sustainable community. As the saying goes, “Just the facts ma’am”. This is truly a great loss for Washtenaw County. I hope you will consider giving yourselves a Bezonki award as you truly deserve it. May your next chapter serve you both well and that you find a new labor of love.

I will miss the Chronicle. I have always found it to be a top-notch publication done with fair and honest coverage of the issues and local government. Thank you Mary and Dave for your work and service to the community.

What everyone else is saying —- that you provided what we so desperately needed over the years when the other local media was in the depth of collapse. Fran and I are among the many who are profoundly grateful for your contributions to our community.

Thank you for your years of service to our community. It’s a bit scary to think about how that other news website will capitalize on this. Actually, who will they link to for the facts, now?

Thank you thank you thank you. Ann Arbor needed you, and still does. But, I don’t think there’s anyone who won’t understand why this must happen.

At least we’ll still get to see you two around town!

This is a big loss for our community, and I’m really sorry to see the Chronicle end. At the same time, I am so impressed with what you built, and so grateful for what you provided to us all. It was a big risk when you launched this endeavor, and you clearly succeeded on all fronts. Well done! Best wishes, and good luck on your next adventures.

Thanks to the Ann Arbor Chronicle for all the hard work done to enlighten, educate, and engage this community. You will be sorely missed!

Mary and Dave – It has been delightful interacting with you on a suite of local projects, all of which benefited from your time and effort. I have personally been enriched by our time together and your conscientious reporting.

Thank you for the array of positive impacts you have contributed to our community. May your next endeavors continue to allow us to cross paths,
~JF

I thought you guys were in talks with Murdoch? He says he’ll up the offer by another billion and throw in a lock of Rebekah Brooks’ hair.

No, huh? Oh, dear. But thanks for enduring the meetings so that we didn’t have to! It’s a loss, all around.

Thank you for six years of excellence. You have raised the bar for journalism in our town. Your web site also raised the bar for civic discussion. A comparison of the comments by your kind and generous readers with the comment sections on other news sites is a testament to your ability to attract great folks and inspire insightful discussion.

It is sad that our community cannot afford the quality that you produce. While the Chronicle generates revenue sufficient to support two, it really should have a staff of at least 5 to cover all of the meetings you have chronicled in the detail you have provided.

I wish you and Mary only the best in whatever it is you take on next.

Your work has consistently and reliably set the standard for local news coverage. Thank you for devoting yourselves so selflessly to the Ann Arbor Chronicle and to our community these past six years. All the best, Dave and Mary.

Mary & Dave,

Thank you so much for this great gift you gave to the community for six years. The Chronicle has meant so much to so many. I guess I’ll have to start watching CTN regularly again. Best wishes for the future – I can’t wait to see what you’ll do next. See ya on the 15th!

-Jennie

Oh no. All is lost. Everyone knows the Chronicle is indispensable. What other conclusion can there be? Maybe all those Bezonkis out there can form some sort of virtual commune to help fill the void?

Thank you not only for the great service, but for infusing it with your wonderful personal sensibilities. My contending sense of gratitude and sorrow live side by side.

Thanks for your years of service to the community.

Is it conceivable that you might offer a one or two year course to a dozen or more committed and paying students on how to run an on-line newspaper? That might generate both the skills and manpower to keep the Chronicle going indefinitely and provide you a reasonable income for a couple of years transition. It would also create a fitting memorial to your great community effort.

Where will I send my Stopped. Watched. posts to now? :-(

Seriously, I’ll miss you guys, and The Chronicle. It was well done, and you should be proud.

Thanks for all your work, and good luck with whatever comes next!

Mary & Dave:

You will be missed.

We will miss getting accurate news coverage of civic events. It’s been an impressive run. Thank you!

Thank you.

I suspect that if you calculated your hourly wage rate you were working for far less than the minimum wage…fairly common for small business owners. Making money off news online is very tough. Your was a worthy experiment but pretty much no one has figured out the economics of local on the internet yet.

I echo all the sentiments expressed and am feeling a great sense of loss. But that is selfish of me. All the best to you, Dave and Mary, in your future endeavors. Your chronicling has been an amazing addition to the community. Thank you.

I agree with all the others. A tragic loss for our community, but Dave and Mary can look back with pride on their six years of incredible service to us all. I keep hoping that some alternative can be worked out–covering half as many meetings under the aegis of some other enterprise, though only one possibility comes to mind.

Thank you for all that you have covered and accomplished these past 6 years. I have relied on the Chronicle for fair and accurate reporting of local events, and will sorely miss this news source.

So sorry to hear this news! Thank you so much for publishing my work and helping me get started so many years ago. Best wishes on your next endeavors.

I’m with everyone else–great sorrow and deep appreciation–and with Paul Courant–Permanent Honorary Citizens!

I don’t think many of us can even begin to feel the crushing demands that you two have labored under for SIX UNRELENTING YEARS. You were good and true and good enough to be true and almost but not quite too good to be true. Your talent and generosity were limitless, and God only knows what else YOU did while you bowled. Ann Arbor will forever be in your debt.

I have little to add to what everyone above has said, so I’ll just express my gratitude, for all the work and also for remaining such genuine, generous people through it all. The Chronicle has been an inspiration to me, and will continue to be. Thanks for everything.

Dear Mary and Dave,
You have done such a wonderful job covering our City. Thank you! Your hard work and perspective will be missed. Best wishes to you both as head towards the future. And HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!
Best Regards — Russ

As a small business owner, I know the cost of launch and maintenance of an ongoing enterprise. You picked a really tough business, set your quality standards at an exceptionally high level and kept it going for far longer than anyone could reasonably expect. You both are to be admired and thanked for your contribution to the Ann Arbor Community. Good luck on your future endeavors!!

This is a terrible loss for the community and our civic life, but I also know that it is the right choice for Mary and Dave.

I’m reminded of David Mamet’s commentary about movies vs. TV “Doing a movie or a play is like running a marathon. Doing a television show is like running until you die.”

Best wishes for your anniversary and for finding other things that bring you joy.

I don’t know what we will do for government and civic news once you stop publishing, but I wish you a very Happy Anniversary and much success in whatever you tackle next.

Mary and Dave, I’m really sad to read this news. I have so much respect for how you have run the Chronicle, and shared what’s important to our community. I will miss the Chronicle. And, I wish you the best in your transitions and hope your future is filled with all good things. Happy anniversary.

Thanks for the volume and quality of reporting on Ann Arbor you have done these past 6 years. We have been better educated on local issues, and that means a lot. Good luck with new chapters!

Thank you for six years of high-quality writing. Please know you created a unique and extremely useful news source that will not be forgotten. Good luck with your future endeavors.

There will be a big void for substantive and critically written stories about city government and city affairs. I am sorry to see that this won’t continue. Please consider looking for possibilities of developing new writers and reporters to continue this thoughtful work.

Thank you both for the immeasurable value of your service. I can only wish it had been measured in some way that would have allowed it to continue. Now, go forth and enjoy. Let’s ride bikes.

So sad to read this! The Chronicle will be missed. Many thanks for all the countless hours you put into making it what it was.

Thank you and congratulations! I totally understand.
I hope something half as well executed arises from someone who sees the need, from these comments. I don’t want to say “to take its place,” because I’m not sure that’s possible – they should aim to meet the need.

Congratulations on a good run. I hope that the library will see it fit to provide a permanent archive of the Chronicle should it work out with your own plans.

A grateful community thanks you for your service. I look forward to hearing more about your next adventures.

Dammit. I woke up with a headache, took my Imitrex and read this. Then I crashed back out. Woke up, presuming this was a dream.

Thank you for all of your work and for featuring my stop, watched items through the years. I still remember running into Dave (we were both on our bikes, I think on Packard) and him telling me about this “Chronicle” that he and Mary were starting.

I’m glad you are staying around town!! Much love to you both.

News about The Chronicle has traveled far. Here in Seattle, I heard about the closing from a journalist friend at the University of Washington who got it from a journalist friend of his elsewhere in the state.

Bad news, really bad news, about The Chronicle but Dave and Mary have made the right decision.

(Mary was my editor at The Ann Arbor News, where I and many other people not only respected but also loved her.)

First of all, happy anniversary to the two of you. Second of all, I have to express my immense gratitude for the service you provided to the city I’ve been lucky enough to call home for the better part of the last 14 years. I can tell, easily, from the depth of commitment you show, week in and week, out that this was a labor of love: perhaps not for the hard benches, nor the long meetings, nor seemingly endless discussions, but for covering the civic news of a city you yourselves love deeply.

As a new-ish city commission member, I found the Chronicle to be an endlessly deep source of information to get me up to speed on issues I wasn’t aware of, and to follow those meetings I wasn’t able to make it to.

I can only hope that the future holds things so awesome so as to appropriately fit the two of your and your inherent awesomeness. While, as Sabra Briere said, I’m selfishly sad to see the Chronicle winding down, I hope to be able to be generous in all commentary – as you’ve always asked all of us to be. I appreciate it, and I think many others do as well.

To the future!

I have always depended on the annarborchronicle.com for its complete reporting of local meetings and other city activities. You provide a well of information and excellent explanations and instruction. Your absence will create a void for me. But I am being selfish. Please accept my sincere wishes that you find joy in all your future endeavors.

Thank you for all you have done. You are two exceptional public servants and have earned a place in Newspaper heaven.

Sad news, indeed! Mary and Dave, thank you for your commitment to quality journalism and tireless efforts to inform and educate our community. Best wishes for a happy anniversary and a rewarding new journey.

Dear Dave and Mary,

Your outstanding and generous contributions to our community discourse have elevated our understanding of civic matters in a profound way, and the realization that we will no longer have your exceptional reporting to rely upon is too sad a loss to contemplate. Like so many of your admirers and faithful readers have so thoughtfully expressed, I share the sincere wishes of heartfelt gratitude for all that you so professionally and selflessly did for all of us. You gave it your all, and we are all the better for it because of your commitment to providing the very best in journalism. I mourn your sign-off, but have the utmost respect for your decision to explore new ventures. Taking this bow with the style and grace that is so emblematic of you both, also earns our shared admiration and respect. I wish for you a very Happy Anniversary and all the very best in all your future endeavors. And, selfishly, a wish that you don’t roam very far from home! Bravo and heartfelt thanks!

You both have been an amazing force for democracy…and have done that with a clear intellect, enviable humor, and strikingly wonderful writing skills. What gifts to all of us.

Oops… before I saw this thread, I CC’ed you on my email about the latest CARD meeting and DEQ’s capricious handling of the Pall/Gelman cleanup as directed by our governor. Now who can we rely on for thorough, independent reporting?

Best wishes to you both. It’s been a good run. Hope you have more time to enjoy this great community you helped foster.

There is no doubt this town will suffer without the Chronicle. The only question is how much, and I fear greatly.

Thank you so, so much for the time you put in to help inform us. I wish I’d been able to contribute more financially than I did; you well-deserve any amount any of your readers could ever give.

This leaves an ENORMOUS gap in our ability to get unbiased and complete coverage of what’s going on around us. I can only hope someone in the near future tries to do one one hundredth the job you’ve done; there is no other entity doing that now.

Again, many, many thanks for what you’ve done for all of us for 6 years.

Nice work through your tenure, both of you. I know you poured your souls into this. The plus is, maybe we’ll see you more often as you casually saunter through the neighborhood.

Mary and Dave,
What a loss for the community, and what a gift you have given us. Thank you for your dedication. You will be so missed!

Thank you so much for The Ann Arbor Chronicle. Your journalism has made a huge contribution to our small town and you’re hurculean efforts will be missed, and remembered. With love and appreciation, Jeff.

Mary and David,
The Chronicle has been my most trusted source of information. Your intelligience, integrity, passion, humor and dedication were reflected in every article/post. The Chronicle has been such a gift to Ann Arbor. Can’t wait to see/hear what comes next!
Happy Anniversary!

Congratulations, friends. And thank you for the incredible gift of these six very precious years.

Mary and Dave,

Like so many others, I read this news with a mix of tremendous gratitude and sadness. There is little doubt in my mind that your presence alone raised the level of discourse and increased transparency in our civic life. Open meetings were actually open and available to all.

I will personally miss chatting about parks issues with Mary and catching up with Council meetings on Dave’s blog after putting my kids to sleep. I look forward to hearing about your next chapter and wish you much success in the future. Happy Anniversary!

You have provided a tremendous public service for which I, among thousands, am very grateful. Best wishes in your future endeavors, and Thank You!

It’s a sad day in Ann Arbor. I will greatly miss the Chronicle.

Mary and Dave, I wish you all of the best!

I’m with everyone else. Stellar work, from beginning to end. Thank you.

What an amazing contribution you’ve made to the community. Thank you for it. Enjoy being off leash!! :D

Mary and Dave, as someone whose words you chose to publish until those words no longer flowed as easily as the wine, I arrive here with a different perspective than many: I truly know that you Are Generous. With your encouragement, your time, your deft touch.

And as someone who also owned small businesses, I see the bittersweet reality behind the words of this column. While The Chronicle may have been financially viable, that was only because, for six years, the two of you have subsidized its existence via those every-waking-hour days and weeks. You are far too Generous to say so, but in another, better world, the community’s financial support would have provided sufficient resources to let you work alongside others with similar dedication, rather than pushing yourselves to the brink of collapse.

Our community will be that much poorer without The Chronicle.

Sad news. Thank you for six years of stellar reporting.

And Happy Anniversary!

What mixed feelings: wonderful news for you two, endless praise for your remarkable work over the last six years, great gratitude for bringing thorough and impartial news coverage to our town. But along with others I have great concern since there is no other quality reporting on what is happening in the city. Is it fair to fear what may flourish in the future press vacuum?

Congrats on a great run. Wish I had read you more, but being in your business, free time is scarce.

You guys are my heroes — for starting it, for making it work, and for knowing when to stop. I can’t wait to see what you do next.

Thank you, and all the best.

Mary and Dave,

You have been our favorite from the very beginning and we will miss you so very much. Best wishes always and,if ever possible, please come back to us. Lloyd & all of Public Defender Staff

Many here have used words that came to me also, like devastated, appreciation, and sad for myself but happy for you. I will miss the fun of Stopped.watched, and the expertise and the passion you brought to news from the hard benches. When I served on a city commission, I considered your reports of our meetings the true minutes, the gospel of what had really taken place.

Mary and Dave,

Thank you.

Mary & HD,

Thanks for the great run. Now go have fun.

Phil

Will you come back if we all start whistling, clapping and shouting “encore”? I have worked with and for many dedicated public servants – you two should be identified as such, as The Chronicle has been a true public service.

Your example of accurate, unbiased reporting showed reporters and readers that old-fashioned journalism is not yet dead. What a loss for us!

Best wishes for whatever is next. If you decide to apply for a job, just put “everyone in Washtenaw County” on the line for references.

Happy Anniversary, Mary and Dave, and thanks so very much.

Josie

Many thanks for your time, effort, and skillful editing of my columns.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Mary and Dave
We appreciate you!

Good luck in your next adventures!

Your great reporting will be truly missed.
Happy anniversary, and best wishes on your next project, whether mechanical or literary.

I will sorely miss your fabulous, in-depth yet humorous local reporting! Thank you for all the insight and info you’ve provided the community these past 6 years. Congratulations on setting your own finish line. And Happy Anniversary too. Cheers

Mary & Dave,

Thank you for excellent coverage of meetings, in depth study of issues, and humor.
Our best to you in your new adventures.
Harvey & Nancy

Mary and Dave,

This is sad, but I think I understand it as well. I’m going to miss seeing Dave on that back bench in city council. I hope he sometimes drops by for a visit, as both of you have contributed so much to this city. Don’t completely disappear. Enlighten us with your thoughts at times, or something. Both of you are wonderful people with incredible professionalism and the work that you did is something that many journalists should strive to do. Unfortunately, it is brutal work that you did and do. Life is short and take time to do other things, but come back from time to time and say hi, or tell us your thoughts on what you see in Ann Arbor. In the debates, you found a way to record stuff and place it into text — could you find a way for someone to keep doing that? I thank you for the work that you have done and I don’t think anyone can/will replace you and what you did.

With sadness and understanding,

-kai

This all so reminds me of the Chelsea Standard and the Leonards who ran it as a labor of love over decades. It was finally sold as they retired and it so saddened the community. This really makes a point of how back-breaking journalism can be. You two gave news a yeopersons’ effort!

Although I just discovered the Chronicle in earnest more recently, an effective local paper will be sorely missed. Your service to Ann Arbor is not taken lightly and you will go down in annals of community contributors. There are few such people who have contributed so much. My votes were very informed by your coverage this past week, and I realized how difficult it was to get thorough and unbiased coverage on local issues. Anyways, I go on. Best wishes on your next venture. Congrats for your work and what’s ahead!
Barb

Dear Mary and Dave,
Your Ann Arbor Chronicle brought a whole new world to this community. Your keen observations and reporting inspired us to communicate better with each other, and to make sense of it all. I never thought an online journal/archives could be so informative and fun! Many thanks for all you did and do! Happy 25th Anniversary and best wishes for the years ahead.
Kittie

To Dave and Mary:

Thanks for your tremendous service to our city. You have provided a tremendous asset to our community. You both represent the true definition/example of the word / role of “JOURNALISTS.”

I cringe when I hear that word applied to the “talking heads” on the TV or to the young “cub” reporters in other local media sources. I measure all news coverage against the type of service you provide and find them all severely lacking.

I appreciate all that you have done. I also appreciate that your archives will remain accessible. You have provided a valuable treasure trove of data that all citizens can use to help research past performances of our city government.

You mention the “marathon without an end” in your article. It made me think about the scene from Forest Gump when he finally decided to stop running back and forth across the nation. To quote the movie, you have “ran a long way” and we are all the better for it. (Of course the shared beard “look” helps helps with the imagery as well!)

Thanks again, and good luck with your next entry into the “box of chocolates” because,… as you know,….. “you never know what your gonna get.”

Dave and Mary, thanks again.

It’s all been said. Thank you. Happy Trails.

Dear Mary and Dave,

Enjoy the future…you deserve lot’s of pleasure for all the wonderful work you have done. I will miss you daily but I will continue to enjoy you on facebook, Mary…

All best wishes and happy adventures!

Susan Contratto

This is sad. However, I wish you both the best. Enjoy yourselves, you’ve earned it.

Myself and the rest of the Ann Arbor community will certainly miss The Chronicle and there will definitely be a large void to fill. Hopefully, the baton gets passed along to someone just as dedicated, caring and knowledgeable as Dave and Mary. I hate to imagine a world where the comments section trumps the article for information.

Thank you for your service.

-Wes

It was a sweet ride while we had it. Well Done, Mary & Dave… I will miss the real Ann Arbor news. Thank you and enjoy, you deserve the long overdue break.

Mary and Dave,

I will miss yhou and so will the entire community. Thank yhou for all your unbiased reporting and your dedication to delivering news of civic affairs.

Best wishes for your future.

Barbara

Mary and Dave,

First of all Happy Anniversary…….

As for the A2 Chronicle…….I cannot state how much you will be missed. After reading an A2 Chroncile article I have often commented to other equally impressed readers how amazed I am at your ability to accurately capture in the most objective and unbiased way what happens during the various governmental and community meetings you attend. There have been times when I have actually attended a meeting and have only made sense of what occurred during the meeting after reading your article.

A2/ Washtenaw County will have journalistic void that will not be filled anytime soon and that is a loss for us all.

Good luck as you start your next life chapter

Jerry

Great job over the last six years.

Dave and Mary have struck me as consummate professionals whose skills in conveying stories that went beyond mere journalism but also evinced keen expertise in such areas as construction, law, engineering and political governance that you do not see except in the biggest news sources like the New York Times or Washington Post.

I can see by the number and positions of past commenters, they had a following across the county from a great number of top civic leaders.

I hope they both stay in touch with the general local community as they have both been valuable civic leaders with a vast knowledge of local government and its officials.

Mary and Dave,

What a loss for Ann Arbor! But we do understand your reasons and congratulate you on six years of in depth, insightful, sometimes delightful, always valuable reporting that we have come to rely on. We will miss you! Congratulations on your anniversary, and we wish you equally successful, rewarding and worthy adventures to come.

Kathe and Andy

Dave and Mary~
you leave awfully big shoes (and bike pedal clips) to be filled. Thank you for your service to Ann Arbor, and best wishes,
Betsy Price

It has been said the best time to leave a party is when everybody is still smiling. I suspect that you have seen as many frowns as smiles these last few weeks, but still, it’s your business, and your decision. Your resources and reporting have proved invaluable for many, myself included. Your words have moved many to action, and that is the best thing that anyone can do for a community. My sincere thanks for that.

thank you both for your stellar work. as our league of women voters and then comcast community access failed us, you have informed us for every election. you will be sorely missed.

I’ve always been amazed at how you could be so thorough for all the meetings you attended and last this long. Congratulations for your absolutely wonderful contribution to Ann Arbor newspapering…You were especially valuable when the Ann Arbor News folded which resulted in a real lack of reporting on civic affairs. You educated a whole new generation of wonks–at least I hope you have–and now I can’t wait to see what you do in your next act. enjoy your anniversary and keep on truckin.

Dang. Just as I was about to give you yet another juicy tidbit about a certain city boob doing things at the polls that he ought not…

Hope to still chat about this stuff with you from time to time, even if it’s not for publication any more. I know you care about our city, and with the press hat off, maybe you’ll be less constrained…

I’m sorry to hear this, and will miss your coverage of local issues and politics.

Herculean effort! Hats off to both of you.

Dave and Mary,

Wow! I am truly floored by the news. I was traveling this weekend for work and just read this. Wow, The Chronicle will be missed.

I cannot help but to put this in a perspective unique to my profession. When a respected instructor was leaving my college to move on to the next phase of his career, the college went to replace him. Most of the faculty members familiar with the needs of the position were skeptical about his proposed replacement. In particular a visiting faculty from Switzerland was incensed. He went to the dean and expressed his concern. The dean explained that the position was advertised and there were few people interested. The faculty member from CH replied,” Sometimes it’s better to have a good ruin, than a bad building .”

Dave and Mary, I owe you both a big thank you for indulging me, and publishing my ramblings on your respected website. (BTW, your check hangs on my wall.) And despite my contribution, you have built an impressive journalistic structure; one that may not be built again here in AA anytime soon. You should be very proud of what you have accomplished.

In my world there are big and small buildings, and people who judge them on that alone. I however try to distinguish based on quality. On that basis, The Ann Arbor Chronicle is an outstanding edifice; one that will make one helluva ruin. I do hope it will remain available for future readers to walk the halls.

My very best to you both,
Chuck

Dave and Mary,
You will be missed! The quality of what you do has always been top notch.

John

Yikes, You’ll be missed tremendously ….I just hope that now we don’t have to rely on the Michigan Daily for any regular city govt news.

In this Bezonki, a person is running…. was this Bezonki hinting at the Chronicle’s end?

[link]

“In past columns I’ve compared this kind of labor to running a marathon – with one key difference: There is no finish line. You can never really finish. But as a practical matter you will quit running one day. And if you never decide to stop, then when you do stop, it will be because you are dead. So we’re setting an end date as a kind of artificial finish line. We’re not planning to sprint for that line. But for the next month we’ll keep running full stride through the tape.”

The era of True Journalism, will be lost again in the Washtenaw County Community. Good luck on your future endeavors!

Independent Underground News & Talk

Thank you for all your amazing work over these six years. I’ve loved your reporting and felt secure with your watchful eyes on our government. Happy Anniversary and best wishes as you move into your future. See you on Friday and thanks again.

Thank you for all of your amazing hard work. We will miss you! Best of luck in your new “post-marathon” endeavors.

I was out of town and just saw this. I’m devastated! Thanks for all the good years. I’m not sure what we’ll do now.

Dave and Mary, thanks for your service to us. You provided a valuable tool for local democracy. Reporting is such a challenging job (from those hard benches), but so necessary to the health of the community. Now that you have shown it can be done, I hope someone will try to fill the large void your silence will leave.
Thank you.

Well, allow me to join the ranks of people praising you and bemoaning your decision to stop. You have contributed so much to the education and knowledge of our citizens and have really been an invaluable resource for me and my work and concern about our community. On top of that, you are 2 of the nicest people to talk with about this stuff that I can think of. You are leaving a vast chasm in this community, but I certainly cannot say that I blame you at all. So I will say thank you for all you have given us! Do something really fun, including that pedal powered sidewalk cleaning jalopy!

You did good. [sic]

As you both know, I’m a big believer in finite projects. Thank you both for giving us all such a great lesson in how to work and stop. The necessity of stopping, and stopping well and thoughtfully—is the thing so many folks you reported about never seem to have learned.

Everybody deserves to have a next thing to do.

I’m obviously been a bit out of the loop this month, traveling almost non-stop, but I finally got to some overdue email tonight — which, sadly, included a note from Mary Morgan letting me know about their decision to cease publishing the Ann Arbor Chronicle.

I have since read Dave’s column, and every note your readers wrote, above. Not only do I share their great admiration for the work you did, the way you did it, and the service it provided, I must add how great it’s been to work with you both. If we talk too much about “players’ coaches,” we talk too little about “writers’ editors.” You have been pros’ pros, a great treat to work with and get to know as friends, and you created a publication to which I was proud to contribute.

This town will miss your work very much, and rightly so. I will miss working with you on a common mission: doing our best to give a community we all love information we feel is important.

Your six years were great ones, and I join the rest of the city in thanking you.

Godspeed, Dave and Mary!

-John Bacon

Where does one seek information when looking for fair and accurate coverage of the issues and local government? THE ANN ARBOR CHRONICLE!
Thank you Mary and Dave – your reporting enlightened me. You will be missed.

Happy Anniversary and all the best in your future endeavors.

#109 summarizes my feelings: “It’s all been said. Thank you. Happy Trails.”

As a tribute to the amazing community the Ann Arbor Chronicle has built, here’s a Word Cloud of the “Ending It” post and another of all the comments:

[Goodbye]: http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/8035679/Goodbye3 | [Comments]: http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/8035578/Comments2

Mary and Dave, you have been models of journalistic entrepreneurism, demonstrating to this community that a high quality, in-depth news publication is viable. Thank you for teaching us this lesson. And all the best in the next phase of your careers.

Bummer!
I guess you two have shown how it could (and should) be done.
Hopefully others will want to follow in your (LARGE) footsteps.
Thanks for everything!

Happy 6th!

Thanks forever for your gift to all of us!

May you fare well!

“In the Chronicle Veritas”,

jim toy

Thank you to you both for raising the bar here in A2 of what regular people should be able to expect from journalists, and from journalism– the depth, the consistency, the attention to detail in both writing and editing– what a fine publication this has been! I wish what The Chronicle provides *wasn’t* so exceptional, but it is, and it’s a true loss for all of us that it will be not be here anymore. I will be eager to how such a void gets filled going forward (have you not secretly bred an army of followers to pick up where you left off– c’mon, you can tell us!)

That being said, and having had the honor of spending a couple of years as one of The Chronicle’s few part-time writers, I can see why it has to end. It’s just simply not fair for two people to have to pull this much weight ad infinitum. I am left with deep feelings of gratitude to you both for what you have brought to me personally, as well as to our community. Best of luck in your next endeavors!

Six years! Yes, thanks be multiplied!
We who have shared time with Mary and Dave on those “hard benches”–and often stuffy meeting rooms–have grown accustomed to a reliable source of information that we might have missed when “life” intervened. My life intervened last weekend delaying my knowledge of our impending loss of ‘concierge’ chronicling for Ann Arbor activists. Contemplating this opening chasm has hit me hard, too, with a sustained stun. Like many others, I’ve grown accustomed to Mary and Dave having our backs. I hope that we will keep running into them in the collective effort keep ourselves informed without their constant attention. Although I am glad that they will leave us such a valuable archive, I hope that their future efforts will include some community mentoring in the ways of such splendidly detailed chronicling of civic life. No matter what, the impact of their closing venture leaves their readers more capable citizens going forward. And going forward is how I would like us to show our appreciation as they themselves go forth, filling out the dozen and many more years of success in every way.

Dave and Mary,
Running our own marathon, I don’t check in as often with you as I wish I could, so I am just now reading about this upcoming change for you. I still laugh thinking about the shout-out you gave to my blog post about all the various piles around our garlic farm. (my husband actually pointed out several I accidentally didn’t mention!) Sometimes change happens slowly and seamlessly, sometimes change needs to be abrupt in order to let the new change that is coming find you. I send all my best wishes to you both for this change, for your new life, venture(s), and happiness, all well deserved.

I am late reading of this decision (thank you, Sabra).
It has all been said. One feels a real sense
of personal, as well as community, loss.
Thanks Mary and Dave.
Blessings upon you.

Having never met you, all the above are an extra WOW to who you must be to have created and sustained the Chronicle. You’ve made me a better citizen. Thank you. You’re going to love the next phase in your lives. Congratulations and Enjoy.

Finally got around to visiting the website – Happy Anniversary. I hope that two projects that you will consider. The first is to work with the Ann Arbor District Library on developing a long-term sustainable digital archive of all your work for their local history collection. The second is to work with some folks at the University on modeling long-term online journalism. Many thanks for all your work!

Jim Mogensen

So sad to see you go…you have kept us so well informed. You will be missed. Best to you in your next endeavors.

A hard and wise decision, I think. Thanks for your unceasing work and your inspiring initiative. May you continue to enjoy the journey.