We have some changes afoot here at Tucson Weekly.
For starters, this is the last issue for managing editor Jeff Gardner, who has been working alongside me for four years. Jeff has been an extraordinary journalist in the trenches with me. He can write about anything from food to science to rock ’n’ roll and deliver a great story every time. Plus, he kept our production line running smoothly. I don’t think we ever missed a deadline under his tenure.
Besides all that, he’s just a great guy and I’m gonna miss working with him.
And speaking of goodbyes: After 33 years here at Tucson Weekly, it’s time to move on to new adventures. I’m stepping down as executive editor of Tucson Local Media at the end of June.
It’s been an honor and privilege to be part of Tucson Weekly for more than three decades. I’ve pretty much done everything except sell an ad. I started by delivering ad proofs to clients in the days before fax machines and email. I drove a truck full of papers from the Mesa printing press and handed bundles to drivers in our gathering space in the El Con Mall parking. I pasted up pages with an X-Acto knife and wax in days before computer pagination. I read over proofs and caught 99% of typos. I even cleaned the bathrooms for a few weeks, although I wasn’t very good at it.
And eventually I got the chance to write, which has been a dream come true.
I have loved telling stories about this town, the good and the bad. I’ve loved working with writers and artists to pull together the Tucson Weekly. I am proud of so much of what we’ve done together, from exposing scoundrels to shining a light those who work hard to make our community a better place. I’ve worked alongside writers I’d admired growing up in this town. I’ve forged friendships that will last the rest of my life.
And to my surprise, I’ve loved being an editor of a half-dozen newspapers over the last five years, pulling together a whole new team of talented young journalists and seeing them take flight.
Now, as much as I’ll miss it, it’s my turn to spread my wings and leave the nest. I have many, many thanks to give to so many, many people but this isn’t the space for it. I’ll miss this gig a lot but it’s time for me to launch into the unknown and see what else life has in store for me.
Thanks for reading all these years!
Jim Nintzel
Executive Editor
Hear Nintz talk about all the cool stuff happening in Tucson at 9:30 a.m. Wednesdays during the World-Famous Frank Show on KLPX, 96.1 FM.
