May 16, 2007
Editorial

Farewell

It was over so fast.

Next week will mark the last edition of the Lincoln County Record to be written and prepared by the Mesquite Media Group, the newspaper company which was hired in January to run the paper.

A new Editor will take over after that.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve the people of Lincoln County over the last five months, and to be an insignificant but memorable footnote in the history of this venerable publication, which is the second-oldest newspaper in the state.

One of the things that surprised us, being the carpetbaggers that we are, is the way that the people of this community embraced us and our efforts.

As out-of-towners, we expected a certain amount of distance and suspicion from those who have lived their whole lives in this rural enclave.

Instead, we felt welcomed, and the majority of those we encountered were positive and supportive.

We are grateful for that support and kindness.

One of the first organizations to step up was Sheriff Kerry Lee and the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office.

We have worked with several police agencies across the state, and the LCSO is without a doubt one of the most open and positive law enforcement organizations we have ever encountered.

While other police departments too often dodge, weave, and hide information from the people they serve, the LCSO opened their books and did everything possible to help us give the citizens a glimpse inside their world.

What we saw is a department that does more with less than almost any agency in the state.

While we’re handing out kudos, we wanted to mention the Lincoln County Commissioners.

Again, the county is blessed to have such public servants.

We have found each and every one of the commissioners to be hard-working, dedicated, honest individuals.

While we haven’t always agreed with their positions on issues, we have never doubted their sincerity or dedication to this community.

Too often, today’s politicians are power-hungry incompetents looking for ways to climb the next step on that ladder.

Lincoln County is fortunate to have a group that is the complete opposite of such a characterization.

The same can be said for most of the people working at the County offices, including hard-working guys like Ken Dixon and the county’s uber-intelligent planning director, Clint Wertz.

And while it’s sad that our group won’t be part of it, we believe that the future of Lincoln County can be incredibly bright.

All it takes is more of something that has been in short supply over the last few years.

And we’re not talking about money.

We’re talking about belief.

The people of Lincoln County need to understand and believe that you are sitting on a gold mine, and not the kind located in the ground beneath your feet.

While places like Mesquite and Las Vegas have bright lights, glitter, and exploding growth, Lincoln County has something even more important:

History. Heritage. A sense of home that has nothing to do with houses.

All you have to do is recognize that you have a slower, closer, enviable way of life that is more real, something that most people can only wish they had, and find a way to work together and share that with the rest of the world while maintaining your uniqueness.

The LCAT group is on their way to figuring that out.

Until then, Sue Hurley, Cindi Delaney, Morris Workman, and the rest of the staff at the Mesquite Media Group will be watching from afar, hoping for the day we can say “we knew Lincoln County back when…” and applauding the successes that await you as a community.

Thank you for allowing us to be a part of that community for a brief moment.