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Moving on from Patch

I'm leaving Patch as of next week.

Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow Residents,

As of next week, I will be leaving Patch and handing over the duties of Local Editor. Another capable individual will be taking my place, so don't fret, Patch still has you covered for news content.

It has been a lot of work manning the helm of this site for almost two years, and it's hard to imagine this period coming to an end.

There have been so many highs and lows to bringing 24-hour news coverage to Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, a service this community had not yet experienced and, I feel, desperately needed.

It's hard to be objective about your own work, but I feel we did a decent job of covering all aspects of life in the Villages, from schools to government, and crime to the arts.

What I find more difficult is objectively ascertaining how the coverage has impacted this community. I've heard from people who are grateful for breaking news updates, and have come to rely on this interactive site to become informed about the everyday events that impact their lives.

I've also seen the negatives regarding anonymous comments and the vitriol that can consume divisive issues, which has been hard to monitor and is tough to police. Being such a small town, these online forums for discussion have offline consequences for many residents.

In part, I believe the negatives have come from the fact that we have done our job and covered those divisive issues that these Villages have struggled to understand and are continuing deal with, whether it is General Motors developments, or the deaths of two esteemed residents of Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. In many ways it is hard, as a member of this community, to remove myself from these events.

Patch has been my life during these past two years. Waking up at 2 a.m. if the fire horn goes off, checking into tips readers have sent, trying to stay on top of the comment threads, sorting through hundreds of daily emails. Even when I was out of town, I was still writing and checking up on the site incessantly. I felt a responsibility to be on top of things for our readers, no matter what was happening, or how long the days became.

At some point the lines between citizen journalist and citizen became increasingly fuzzy. I started volunteering with the Tarrytown Ambulance Corps, organizing community cleanups with the Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown Environmental Advisory Councils, and taking part in events as a resident instead of a reporter.

To the point, I have made these Villages my home. I care about what happens here, enjoy volunteering in the community, and I have strong opinions about many issues that I've had to be neutral about over these past two years. While I've spent this time reporting on the people and events that make up the local news, I'm ready to be on the other side of that equation as someone who takes an active role in bettering our communities.

I look forward to remaining as a fixture in town, but in a different way that will allow me to do more volunteer work in these great Villages. After a needed working vacation (my documentary company is in production on two full-length pieces), I plan on being back in Sleepy Hollow and I hope to see all of you again. If you need to reach me, I'll be at sean.h.roach@gmail.com or at 206-300-8200.

Thanks for making this such a wonderful place to live and accepting me into the community.

Be well,

Sean

Joan Buckley September 2, 2011 at 10:09 pm
You brought us community journalism at its best! You'll be sorely missed. Good luck with your production company.
DAVID RANIOLO September 2, 2011 at 10:46 pm
SEAN YOU DID AN OUTSTANDING JOB YOUR AT THE TOP OF YOUR GAME. GOOD LUCK AT WHAT EVER YOU DO. THANKS FOR YOUR DEDICATION TO PATCH. YOU WILL BE MISSED.
Suzy Byrne September 3, 2011 at 01:30 am
I agree with everyone here. Excellent job, Sean! Best of luck to you.
Chris Carter September 3, 2011 at 01:33 am
Sean, I've come to rely on your even-handed reporting of events in Ttown & SH. You've really built Patch into a great source of local info. Thanks for your hard work!
Jerry Eimbinder September 3, 2011 at 01:40 am
You are a class act, a great reporter and editor, and the ideal example of what the modern Internet news professional should be. I know we will see great things from you as you pursue your career.
True Believer September 3, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Thanks sean for excellent reporting. You kept us informed with info we wld otherwise never have known. Good luck!
yoram September 3, 2011 at 12:41 pm
You've received so many comments in praise, so I won't make another. Well, maybe just one. Kudos. Great job. Good luck.
Margaret Fox September 3, 2011 at 12:59 pm
Wow what a shock. You have become an institution here. Loved your work. Best of luck to you Sean!
Melissa Ray September 3, 2011 at 02:17 pm
Thank you for the amazing job you've done! The positives far outweigh the negatives, and it sounds like you'll be continuing to bring positive energy to our volatile, yet cohesive community. I really look forward to seeing your doc work - please put me on your mailing list!
Heron September 3, 2011 at 02:33 pm
I also wanted to add that I think you have transformed this village in terms of the amount of information that is now available to us about local issues. I really didn't know much about what was going on locally, and didn't feel that there was a source for this information (other than the Hudson Independent, but I couldn't look at that every day.)
Howard Lipson September 3, 2011 at 02:46 pm
I've never felt so close to my community thanks to your yeoman efforts. I'm grateful you're still hanging out with us here in TT/SH. Given your excellence managing the Patch, I'm certain your documentaries will shine.
linda knapp September 3, 2011 at 04:25 pm
Sean, congratulations on doing such a super job here in our local community - you not only got Patch up and running, but served as a diligent, unbiased, community-serving journalist as well, and all of us are deeply grateful. I, too, have been deeply disturbed by the rancor, sniping, and all-out rage I have found in the comments. As someone who grew up in this community and has actively served it as a committed volunteer through many years, I have been alarmed and disheartened. Where did our sense of community go? Our sense of courtesy, civility, and just plain old good manners? Interestingly enough, none of those we have heard from most often - at their most sarcastic, bitter, and cynical - are represented by those whose comments are listed above. I hope they have retreated into the woodwork - and stay there! And in the meantime, I add my voice to the chorus of well-wishers as you move on to other ventures. Thank you for all you have done for all of us - and for your enormous contribution to our daily lives.
Linda Knapp
Jerry Eimbinder September 3, 2011 at 05:00 pm
I understand Linda Knapp's concern about some of the negative comments the Patch Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow site receives and prints. But when last I heard, this site was being accessed by more than 23,000 different e-mail addresses a month. That number is probably even higher now. There is bound to be a range of opinions expressed including those expressed by a few born dissenters. What is most important is that Sean's indefatigable efforts made the Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow site "must reading" daily.
Audrey Booth September 3, 2011 at 05:47 pm
Sean, I would like to add my best wishes to you on your future endeavors and the very best of luck. I spent most of my life in the Tarrytowns and this past 10 years I've been in California but missed neews of my hometown until you brought Patch into my life. Thank you.
Suzanne Rothberg September 3, 2011 at 08:38 pm
Sean:
It's been a pleasure working with you on the Tarrytown Music Hall calendar which will continue with the new editor. Good luck in your future endeavors!
Ed Murphy September 4, 2011 at 08:57 am
Thanks Sean, it was a true pleasure reading the Patch and made me feel as if I were back home where I grew up. Accentuate the Positive and Ignore the Negatives in life! Semper Fidelis and Good Luck always.
Ed Murphy September 4, 2011 at 09:00 am
Thanx Sean, Best of luck in all you undertake. Semper Fidelis, Ed Murphy, Yuma, AZ
Scott Croft September 5, 2011 at 08:17 pm
Your reporting was beyond reproach. Thank you-
danielle mcauley September 6, 2011 at 02:45 pm
Continued success to you, Sean. Thanks for the interest you've shown in our little corner of the TT world. Hoping our paths cross again. Please let us know when your docs are released/air. Best...Danielle McAuley
ASleepyBoy September 6, 2011 at 03:00 pm
Sean, thank you and good luck in all your future endeavors!
joy September 6, 2011 at 03:14 pm
We have very much appreciated your work. Thank you very much and good luck to you.
John Anderson September 6, 2011 at 03:55 pm
Sean, never got a chance to meet, but good luck! While you were probably taken back by some of what goes on in these villages and in the comments, you as a reporter and editor did a terrific job. See you round'.
Sandra Tripp September 7, 2011 at 06:54 pm
Dear Sean - We have found ourselves dependent on you and the Patch as our local news source. It has been a treat seeing you around (everywhere!) and we have very much enjoyed your reporting. You are leaving big shoes to fill. Best wishes to you on all of your future adventures.
Michelle McLean September 7, 2011 at 07:58 pm
Sean,
You did an amazing job keeping both Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow residents well informed. You'll be missed greatly! Goddluck & the very best with your documentary company.
Wade Schultz September 7, 2011 at 09:27 pm
You were such a great asset to this Sean! All the best of luck and take care!
Wade
herbert hadad September 8, 2011 at 03:17 pm
You carried out your task with integrity and humor. Who could have asked for anything more? All good luck.
Nancy Byrne September 9, 2011 at 03:51 am
Sean,
We will miss you! You have done such a marvelous job covering all manner of news articles, We thank you and wish you luck!
Sara Mascia September 9, 2011 at 01:51 pm
Sean,
I will miss you. Your integrity and enthusiasm will be hard to match. Much luck in your new endeavor! Come and visit me at the Historical Society to me know how things are going! Best always, Sara
Mike Sabini October 3, 2011 at 03:35 pm
Sean-
I realize I am late beyond belief to this party and I already thanked you privately, but I just had to publicly thank you as well for all that you did for me when I covered sports here my first 10 months or so with Patch. You really let me do my thing and it's so well appreciated. It was a blast to work for you and cover sports in such a wonderful community. Good luck! Mike
Elizabeth Connors November 11, 2011 at 03:08 am
I am so sorry to learn you are moving on, but that is the natural course of things. You are a great reporter, and it is too bad the newspaper world that I knew isn't there for you to move on to. Nevertheless, whatever you choose to do will benefit from your talent, persistence and the experience you have gained covering local news in the indepth way that you have done. All the best, Sean. Good job and I hope your successors take up where you have left off, and use your work as an example and goal. .

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