FROM THE EDITOR: A time of transition in Pahrump

Pahrump is in a time of transition with a new sheriff on the horizon and its town board on the brink of extinction. Why not throw a new editor of the area’s largest newspaper into that mix? And why not arrive during a contentious election season with just more than four weeks to go?

Welcome to Pahrump.

I have been told by more than a few people in and outside the area that Pahrump is quite the news town. Some have even said politics here is a “blood sport,” whatever that means. I walk into the Pahrump Valley Times not knowing a lot about the area and its history, and maybe that is best. No preconceived notions means I arrive with a clean slate and, maybe, a fresh perspective.

But as they say out here, the larger “here” of the West, this is not my first rodeo.

I come to the Times after my second stint in the Las Vegas Review-Journal newsroom. From 2007 until 2010 I was a business reporter covering the downfall of the economy, the bankruptcy of Station Casinos and drinking construction workers at CityCenter. Nothing like a veiled death threat from a fired construction worker. For the past seven months I covered the state’s burgeoning medical marijuana industry and the City of Henderson government. The mayor is Andy Hafen, a last name I am quickly learning has some prominence in this area.

In between, I was editor of the Boulder City Review, which is located outside Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. After three years, I jumped on the burning descent of Las Vegas CityLife. I was editor for four months before it was closed. Seven months after it was relegated to museum status I would still receive calls from people looking for copies.

I know, I know, “Things are different here in Pahrump.”

My arrival was quick, but I jumped at the opportunity when it was presented. I didn’t hesitate for a second.

I do not take the responsibility of editing and guiding your newspaper lightly. I will work hard to deliver the best and fairest news product in Nye County. With today’s growing media options expanding our world, newspapers in a rural community, like Nye County, play an essential role in conveying local news to readers, helping them to understand the background behind various issues.

Oftentimes it is the lone reporter in the corner of a county meeting, with pad and pen, who is the watchdog of the peoples’ interests. Newspapers continue to be the most reliable source for what is happening in a community involving crime, taxes, local government and politics, zoning information, schools, area jobs, community and neighborhood events, the arts, social services and real estate. The Times has been that source for the past few decades and I plan to carry on that tradition.

Government doesn’t work unless the general public is involved with the process in some meaningful way. And to be involved, citizens need accurate information. If the Times doesn’t take an active role in this process, then it becomes difficult for members of the community to make decisions that will allow everyone to take care of each other.

I am fortunate to walk into a great situation here and be supported by a strong and experienced staff. I plan to leverage that talent to the benefit of you, the reader. There is a lot of talent in this office, a reservoir of Pahrump knowledge, institutional memory and strong ethical standards. I may be new, but I am surrounded by decades of knowledge of where the bodies are buried.

And that knowledge starts at the top with the publisher, Marie Wujek. Ten minutes into my first meeting with her last week, I knew this is where I wanted to be.

I hope our coverage of the community and county will spark healthy, civil debate. We will not always see eye-to-eye, and you may not always agree with our coverage. But if a healthy dialogue can be started, then I believe we will have done our job.

Katharine Graham, the legendary publisher of the Washington Post during the Watergate era, made one of my favorite comments about news, and it has guided me through my career.

“News is what someone wants suppressed. Everything else is advertising. The power is to set the agenda. What we print and what we don’t print matters a lot.”

Writer George Orwell put it another way when he said, “Journalism is printing what someone else does not want printed: everything else is public relations.”

But the Times will not just be about hard news. We will continue to deliver engaging community stories, business profiles and a sports section that focuses on the high schools, but highlights other athletes as well.

I also arrive as the Times parent company, Stephens Media, has acquired the Pahrump Mirror. I have heard talk around town about the acquisition and what it could mean for both papers. From what I understand, the relationship has been contentious over the years.

My perspective is that it’s healthy to have two newspapers in town, and there is a commitment to keep the two voices separate. The Mirror offers a different perspective than we do. And having two news print options in a small town is not that unusual, even in Nevada. Mesquite has two newspapers that differ in viewpoints the same way the Times and Mirror do.

But the acquisition by Stephens Media of the Mirror and its building speaks to something else. Stephens Media announced yesterday that it has sold its six newspapers in Hawaii and Washington. While the company is divesting itself of holdings, it is investing here in Pahrump and Nye County for the long-term health of the Times.

In an era when newspapers are being sold and some are having to close, the Pahrump Valley Times is positioned to serve you for many years to come. I plan to be a part of that journey for a long time.