I'm much more pleased with Working Lunch (published in the May 24 edition) than I thought I would be and the response has been consistently positive.
If you're not sure what Working Lunch is, let me take a moment to explain it as it is intended. The direction that we're trying to take this thing in is simple. It's a light-hearted Q&A with people who have unique jobs and backgrounds.
When I sit down with someone for a Working Lunch interview, I want to produce an article that will allow the reader to walk away with an understanding of the person I am talking to - what they do for a living, where they come from and some of the things that have happened to them along the way. I also want the reader to smile, chuckle and perhaps laugh. So expect to get a little bit of who I am or who Don or Ed are when we do these, because a big piece of the puzzle - what drives a Working Lunch – is the personalities on both ends of the discussion.
In all honesty, I have to give credit to a staff writer at sister publication The News-Herald, located in Southgate. Bobby Ampezzan started this whole Working Lunch thing before my time, and over in the Downriver area it has become quite an attraction for our readers, because he has done a fantastic job with it and really set a high bar for us. It is my understanding that there are quite a few people who write in or call him directly to ask, "Who's next?"
I haven't quite gotten to that point with only one of these under my belt, and Mr. Ampezzan has already passed his bicentennial Working Lunch at The News-Herald, but I can see us getting there soon.
One important thing that I would like to point out is that you, the reader, have to help us out by either saying, "Hey! I'm a candidate!" or networking us with people that you think would, even if they might be too modest to admit that they have something special to share. We'll be the judge of that!
Speaking of judgment, I’m not sure if parts of this blog post will be frowned upon. I was advised not to mention where Working Lunch came from, either to avoid looking like I stole the idea (I ate Bobby Ampezzan’s lunch?) or to preserve the “new car smell” of this feature for the Dexter/Chelsea area reader.
I decided to go against that advice and be honest by sharing the tale of Working Lunch, and from whence it came.
Sean Dalton
The Dexter Leader
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Of burgers and bond issues.
Burger King’s famous motto is, “Have it your way.”
That’s a philosophy that I can get behind 100 percent. Who wants to have it someone else’s way? Does your neighbor or uncle know you well enough to order your Double Whopper? (That was a trick question, because you shouldn’t eat that junk.)
When it comes to food, I want to have the final say in what I'm eating.
Maybe I'm picky or maybe I just attach this need for authority and control over what I'm paying for. I wouldn’t be exercising my freedom to spend my money how I want if I didn't. There's no way I'm eating pickles.
On May 7, I expected a full house when the Dexter Community School District held its first public bond discussion forum. This was a chance for the community (you) to tell the school district how to prepare the bond proposal. (Hold the land purchases?)
I expected a legion of residents to bear down on Creekside Middle School’s cafeteria, but the thunderous din of marching feet never came.
As was mentioned in the paper this month, I think forty to fifty people showed up, half of which were liaisons representing an organization, such as little league or some other athletic interest. There were, of course, some teachers and members of previous school district committees that were a given. Kudos to those folks for showing up, and their input will be invaluable, but I'm not sure that the whole picture could be gleamed from the feedback collected at the first forum.
Average unaffiliated residents or "taxpayers," as some of the few that showed up identified themselves, were pretty thin on the vine. Admittedly, this isn’t the most contentious of bond issues. The district isn’t asking for new money, but rather asking to renew money that residents were already paying for previous bonds.
It’s just a case of a school district trying to maintain available money that they are legally allowed to collect, as a way to pay for things that the state provided per pupil allowance (which isn't enough to sustain the majority of school districts) can't cover on its own. The alternative is to cut quality programs and services - an alternative that is a losing proposition for the community's children.
It will be interesting to see if people are concerned enough with the district’s needs to come out Monday at 7 p.m. at the same location for the second forum. It's not only important to get out and have a say so the money is spent in the right places, but also so school district officials can get a feel for what the taxpayers will get behind come the election.
Back to the overcooked fast food analogy - If you don’t like mayo, Monday will be the time to speak your peace. Either way, everyone in the district is going to have to take a bite, whether they like what’s between the meat and the bun or not.
Sean Dalton
The Dexter Leader
That’s a philosophy that I can get behind 100 percent. Who wants to have it someone else’s way? Does your neighbor or uncle know you well enough to order your Double Whopper? (That was a trick question, because you shouldn’t eat that junk.)
When it comes to food, I want to have the final say in what I'm eating.
Maybe I'm picky or maybe I just attach this need for authority and control over what I'm paying for. I wouldn’t be exercising my freedom to spend my money how I want if I didn't. There's no way I'm eating pickles.
On May 7, I expected a full house when the Dexter Community School District held its first public bond discussion forum. This was a chance for the community (you) to tell the school district how to prepare the bond proposal. (Hold the land purchases?)
I expected a legion of residents to bear down on Creekside Middle School’s cafeteria, but the thunderous din of marching feet never came.
As was mentioned in the paper this month, I think forty to fifty people showed up, half of which were liaisons representing an organization, such as little league or some other athletic interest. There were, of course, some teachers and members of previous school district committees that were a given. Kudos to those folks for showing up, and their input will be invaluable, but I'm not sure that the whole picture could be gleamed from the feedback collected at the first forum.
Average unaffiliated residents or "taxpayers," as some of the few that showed up identified themselves, were pretty thin on the vine. Admittedly, this isn’t the most contentious of bond issues. The district isn’t asking for new money, but rather asking to renew money that residents were already paying for previous bonds.
It’s just a case of a school district trying to maintain available money that they are legally allowed to collect, as a way to pay for things that the state provided per pupil allowance (which isn't enough to sustain the majority of school districts) can't cover on its own. The alternative is to cut quality programs and services - an alternative that is a losing proposition for the community's children.
It will be interesting to see if people are concerned enough with the district’s needs to come out Monday at 7 p.m. at the same location for the second forum. It's not only important to get out and have a say so the money is spent in the right places, but also so school district officials can get a feel for what the taxpayers will get behind come the election.
Back to the overcooked fast food analogy - If you don’t like mayo, Monday will be the time to speak your peace. Either way, everyone in the district is going to have to take a bite, whether they like what’s between the meat and the bun or not.
Sean Dalton
The Dexter Leader
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
New push for more online content
I don’t know what my coworkers think of this new push for more online content (see Ed Freundl’s blog), but I think it’s very neat
Most people spend so much time online in chat rooms and on message boards in their off-hours that this shouldn’t be a big deal in terms of time investment. But, as with all new things, we shall see.
Speaking of new things, I’m excited to be the new reporter for The Dexter Leader. I have spent over a year at another Heritage newspaper — The News-Herald — covering some fine communities in the Downriver area, including
Last week, and my first week in this office, I was finally able to get out into the community and lay my eyes on the areas that I will be covering,
The first thing that struck me on my drive down
Being a big fan of
Once I rolled into
My second visit to the area was to stop into some schools, namely Cornerstone Elementary,
I don’t think I’ve seen a more energized and active student body before. Kids were laughing, smiling and just generally having a good time, one and all.
I don’t want to knock any of the schools that I’ve attended, but I don’t remember everyone being quite so happy to be in a learning institution.
I haven’t had the chance to really delve into the details, so I’m hoping that the students in this district have the grades to match their enthusiasm.
That’s basically what it all comes down to for me. Over the next couple of weeks I will be getting to know everyone and everything to the best of my ability, and I certainly hope that our readers will feel free to call me and let me know what is going on.
Sean Dalton
The Dexter Leader
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)