Thank you, Long Beach

Two weeks ago, I was called into the office of the Heralds’ executive editor, John O’Connell, and as I sat down with John and Long Beach Herald Editor Anthony Rifilato — my editor and mentor since October 2010, when I first came to work here — I wasn’t sure what the topic of discussion would be.

I did not, however, expect to receive a surprising offer: a promotion to editor of the Malverne-West Hempstead Herald. I was told of the benefits of becoming an editor and left to decide whether to take the job, which, after some careful thought, I did.

Yet as I contemplated this major step forward in my career, it hit me: I would be leaving Long Beach.

The Long Beach Herald is, in my opinion, one of the most active papers in the chain of Herald Community Newspapers. It chronicles a rich, diverse community that is full of life and culture.

Working as a reporter in Long Beach for nearly a year and a half had its challenges. I realized, however, that the challenging, fast-paced and at times demanding climate made for well-rounded, invaluable experience as a journalist — experience that has prepared me well for my new role.

During those first few months on the job as a reporter, I found myself among a wave of protesters outside City Hall who demanded answers after five men were arrested during an altercation with police in the North Park area — an incident that one police official described as a “melee” that left two officers injured and sparked an outcry from residents who alleged police brutality.

It was my first major story, and one I’ll never forget.

I also found myself in the company of County Legislator Dave Denenberg and West Pine Street residents Scott Bochner and Nick Febrizio as they scrutinized a brown plume of sludge moving across Reynolds Channel. It would be the first of many stories about the discharge of partially treated sewage — in greater concentrations than allowed by environmental law — by the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant in East Rockaway, which many residents described as a serious environmental hazard.