Patch Editor Says Goodbye and Thank You One Year Later

Hi Friends and Readers, 

Today is my last day with Patch. 

For the last year, I've written about new businesses, developments and best of all, our amazing residents—and I've loved every second of it. 

But it's time to move on and start a new journey at a public relations firm downtown. 

I'll be honest, it wasn't my choice to leave. 

Like any company, we had to make money. AOL's CEO Tim Armstrong—the mastermind behind Patch—promised profitability by the end of this year. To help the company achieve this goal, about 400 other Patch editors and I learned we would be laid off in October. 

The intricacies of a multi-billion dollar company are over my head, so I won't go into what went wrong. Instead, I'd like to highlight what Patch did right. 

This is a company that gave more than 1,000 journalists jobs when no one else would. I graduated at the peak of the recession, and was fighting 30-year veterans for entry-level positions. Patch took the some of the best in the industry and unleashed their creativity, giving them an online newspaper. 

Every day, I got to wake up and talk to people who are making this community better. Sure, there were days with sad stories, but the majority of you are doing great things that will make this neighborhood a gem for future generations. It has been my privilege to witness it. 

If only the success of a site could be measured by its profitability to a community, rather than a company. 

You all made Patch successful with your thirst for knowledge. Your news tips, Tweets, comments and emails created a powerful hub of local information. 

"What makes a community resilient is knowing your neighbor and being aware of what's happening," Ald. Ameya Pawar once said to me. I couldn't agree more. 

A neighborhood is that much stronger if its residents know what's going on next door, down the street and around the corner.

Lincoln Square is that type of neighborhood. That's why the Lincoln Square, Northcenter and other city sites will remain online. 

I hope you keep reading, and I'm incredibly sorry I won't have the honor of reporting. I will always remember how warmly you welcomed a St. Louis Cardinals fan into this amazing community. 

Whether we've emailed every day, or never spoken, I'd like to invite you all to Lincoln Square Lanes Thursday for a good-bye beer. Festivities start at 6:30, and all are welcome. 

Thank you and take care,

Sarah Flagg, sarah.flagg1@gmail.com

Here were some of the highlights over the last year: 

—Having beer(sssss) at nearly every community event, from Winter Brew to Square Roots and even a Possibility Potluck

—Seeing football players celebrate their Homecoming… for the first time

—Photographing adorable kids at a photobooth in Giddings Plaza during the Chamber of Commerce's Halloween Happenings. 

And here are some fun—possibly sassy—superlatives I've picked up around the Square: 

• Most Humbling Story: Local Musician Fights Cancer with Benefit Concert
• Funniest Story: Lincoln Square Exposed in 140 Characters

• Best Coffee Shop: Dolce Casa Cafe (thanks, Ross!)
• Worst Coffee Shop: Starbucks (Seriously, I need more than pastries and a fruit cup for proper writing)

• Most Likely to See Around Town: Brian Fulton
• Best Dressed: Ald. Ameya Pawar
• Favorite Person in Lincoln Square: This man and his squirrel

• The Woman Who Knows About Everything in Town: Margaret O'Conor
• Lincoln Square Power Couple: Lisa Ripson and Chris Comes

• Funniest Photos: Chicago Cubs Opening Day 2013: Fan Photos
• Funniest Video: Blackhawks Win Stanley Cup