Guest Editor Taking Over Till Jan. 9

Hey Rohnert Park and Cotati — I'm off for my first big vacation since I launched Rohnert Park Patch last December. My friend and I will be traveling across the country by train — hitting what we're calling our "great white adventure."

We'll be ice skating in Chicago, seeing holiday lights in Boston, walking all over New York City, then we're headed to my home state of Wisconsin for a week on the farm.

As the editor of Patch, I just wanted to personally thank the community, Patch readers, city officials, police, Cotati-Rohnert Park Unified and the other reporters who've helped me along the way — I couldn't have learned as much about Rohnert Park without all of you.

I want to personally thank fellow writers Jud Snyder, Karina Ioffee, Alexis Fitts, Keri Brenner and Jeremy Hay who've helped me get to know this town and what's important to cover. I look forward to an even more successful 2012 — writing about everything from the city's effort to fill growing vacancies, to development and City Hall, the schools and our important nonprofits.

I believe it's a mix of these organizations and issues that make Rohnert Park's fabric even stronger, as the city moves toward its 50th anniversary in September 2012. I strive to cover important issues in a way that explains complex issues to people, promise to look at all sides of what I'm writing about, to investigate deeper into trends and to cover the stories other news outlets either can't or won't.

Also this year, I'll be starting to cover Cotati City Hall. If there's a story you think should be heard, something that's being undercovered or something we can improve on, please let us know. It's you, after all, that make this Patch a great addition to the community.

We aim to be useful, interesting, accurate and innovative. If there's something we should cover, tell us! This is your site too.