Proud to serve this community

By Clifford and Stuart Richner, Publishers

Ten years ago, our friends Buddy and Richard Stein published a special fiftieth anniversary section of The Riverdale Press and we took out a small congratulatory ad. "When two brothers get together to publish a paper," it said, "great things happen." Then, tongue in cheek, we added, "and your paper's not bad either."

We had a lot in common with the Stein brothers. We had also grown up in a newsroom overseen by our parents. When it was our turn to take over the family business, we, too, nurtured it and guided its growth.

Our papers covered suburban communities on Long Island that faced many of the same problems that have confronted Riverdale over the years - rapid development, government corruption, school board fights, transportation, land use and zoning controversies. We also chronicled the joys of each week. The winning hits in Little League games, the awards won by local residents, the holiday observances and thepassing of the seasons in a beautiful environment.

So, we jumped at the chance to make The Riverdale Press a part of our Richner Communications family when we got the opportunity nearly two years ago.

We're very glad we did.

Riverdale, we've come to learn, is a truly unique community. Though it has no political boundaries, it engenders fierce loyalties. It's a place where residents get involved, and thanks to their tireless efforts, with plenty of help from The Press, Riverdale has managed to preserve the strength of its institutions and much of its natural beauty.

Another is the talented staff we inherited. We knew The Press was an award winner, but we were gratified when - in the very first year of our ownership - the Suburban Newspapers of America named The Press its Newspaper of the Year. This would not have happened without the tireless efforts of our talented and dedicated staff led by Editor Jason Fields, Associate Publisher Mekea Hurwitz-Fishlin and Advertsising Director Phyllis Steele.

Finally, the traditions of honesty, integrity and courage established by David and Celia Stein 60 years ago and nurtured by their sons for so many y ears have been an inspiration to us, to our staff and to community journalists everywhere. We're proud to have been entrusted with the stewardship of such a distinguished legacy.

We hope you, our readers, are as happy as we are with the marriage of our two enterprises and are enjoying - and will continue to enjoy - the resources that we have brought to The Press.

Many pundits have prematurely written off newspapers, but they must not have been thinking of community publications like ours. Yes, our technology has changed over the years, but our mission remains the same - community service.