It began four years ago. Well, almost four years ago. In the beginning of August 2015, I made my way down to Monroe from Osseo and talked to the person who would soon be my editor.
A job was offered and I accepted. Then it truly began. I had to locate an apartment — not an easy task in our fair city, especially when 200 miles away — and learn new streets, new faces, new names. On my first day, I sped out on Wisconsin 69 near Monticello to cover a fatal car accident, not knowing how to get to the scene without GPS. But even as the days became weeks and weeks became months and eventually years, the change I so greatly desired became familiar.
That’s when I knew I had to go. Four years later, I had memorized phone numbers and could recite certain figures or taxation methods without a thought. I needed another change.
I see change as a way of life. It’s much like the greatly worn phrase regarding death or taxes; unavoidable no matter how hard you try.
Change is necessary to make us better. We have to learn innovative things, meet new people and take part in different experiences to truly progress as humans.
It is with that in mind that I leave Monroe. Hopefully better than I found it. I’ve tried to hold myself to a high standard, acknowledging faults when I’ve committed them and following local government officials in my best attempts to gain the truth for readers. I have been told by some that my writing makes sense when they delve into an article about the city budget process or read a story about parking or housing studies. That was the plan, so I am glad to hear I succeeded at some level. Seems as though the college degree may have paid off after all.
I moved here, in part, because the job as city reporter at the Times was one run on daily deadlines. In that inevitable force of change brought on by the purchase of this newspaper and newsprint tariffs beyond anyone’s control, I have adapted. In many ways, the Times is better than when I started, despite the reduced staff and publication schedule. Unfortunately, it will likely be the fate of all newspapers; more duties heaped on fewer people being asked to provide perfection while making the same wage as a Walmart manager. I’ll have to see for myself in the future as I watch my industry shift and change in the face of decreased advertising revenue and cheaper subscription rates.
My heart has always been with that deadline driven work. While I want every aspect of our product to be as close to perfect as possible, I have a desire to focus on writing above everything else. I had only planned to stay for a few years, anyway. In the shifting millennial job market, you can’t keep your feet on the ground for too long.
It’s time to go.
It feels different leaving this small Swiss-centric city. I am not gleeful to escape as I had been in my previous position, taken due to a desperate need to find a job in my field after spending my postgraduate summer searching.
I am moving forward while keeping a piece of me here. Some people have expressed how they will miss me when I leave while wishing me well. I feel similarly. It’s bittersweet to leave a community I have gotten to know for nearly half a decade. It is with happy feelings that I move on, not because I’m glad to ditch Monroe, but because I have grown within this community and I have gotten to know the people who run it.
I’m glad to have been a part of it. And because of all of these connections, I’m sure I will return for a visit soon enough.
After all, I’ve heard Monroe brings people back.
— Bridget Cooke has spent the last four years as the city reporter for the Monroe Times. Her last day will be Friday, June 28.
