BY ELIZABETH MARGARITIS BUTSON | When The Villager was founded in 1933, during the Great Depression, it promised to be an independent voice in the community. The Villager has an impressive track record. It is well and alive and winning top journalism awards.
The past 50 years have been challenging to the newspaper business. Many famous newspapers have disappeared and others through unavoidable mergers lost their independence. The Villager also had its share of ups and downs. After a strong run for 20 years, the Williamson family sold its interest in The Villager. Some rocky years followed.
In 1992, Tom and I were asked to take over The Villager. I was the publisher and Tom was the editor. This was a labor of love for us. Tom had already been diagnosed with cancer and we had both opted for early retirement. Taking over The Villager was hardly a retirement project. It was a journalist’s dream come true.
It gives me great pleasure to see The Villager grow and continue its excellent coverage of events in our community. There is no other community in the city that has so much going on, all the time! Politics, education, music, innovative theater and dance, local sports, community gardens, great restaurants — it all happens right here.
And yes, there are more opinions per square inch in the Village than any other place in the world. The Villager covers it all with a strong, independent and balanced voice. Its commitment to high journalistic standards is recognized.
Every year, The Villager receives prestigious editorial awards from the New York Press Association in a statewide competition that covers more than 200 papers.
My warmest congratulations to its new publisher, Jenn Goodstein, for this very special 80th birthday. And my heartfelt thanks to the small, enthusiastic core group that helped us relaunch The Villager, starting in 1992.
Thank you, Michael Haberman, Lincoln Anderson, Josh Rogers, Claude Solnik, Al Amateau, Traci Kampel, Ed Lewis, Doris Diether, Loren Granville and Colin Gregory. You are the best.
