aShortChronicle turns one year old! How are we doing?

One year ago today, I hit the "Publish" button on the first post of this blog.  I had no idea where it would go or how it would be received.  To say the least, I have been humbled by the response.

Thank you!

If you'd asked me what I hoped to achieve by writing a blog about local politics with a focus on tiny Davidson, I'm not sure what my answer would have been a year ago.  But today, looking back on this past year this is what I'd say. 

Give people the whole truth while making a point and hopefully it will make a little bit of a difference.

So, how are we doing?  Honestly, in just one year I think we've achieved quite a lot.

I say "we" because this whole effort would not be possible without all of the people who have sent in story ideas, provided background information, and helped point me in the right direction.

Over the past year...

Posts from aShortChronicle have become regularly featured on PunditHouse.com as part of their "House Guests" columns.  PunditHouse is the website for stories on Charlotte area politics from the conservative point of view.  Being asked to submit as a House Guest was a nice surprise and acknowledgement that these stories may be worth reading.  Thanks to Christian Hine for reaching out.

Here in Davidson, I'm confident in saying that posts from aShortChronicle had at least some impact on the Town's decision in 2012 to abandon efforts to pursue 4-year terms for elected officials.  Was this blog the whole reason they dropped the issue? No, absolutely not.  Did it make a little bit of a difference? Yes, I'm absolutely sure that it did.

Finally, I'm proud of a couple of posts which covered some slightly off-beat topics weeks earlier than the local media and the more traditional pundits.  It's nice to see that some of what's covered here is deemed newsworthy by those who make covering the news their business.  See...

• Bring Back Partisan Judicial Races or Can the Races All Together aShortChronicle 11/30/2012 VS. Hood: Reform appellate election system John Hood of the John Locke Foundation, January 2013
• Davidson Village...Last Bastion for Democrats in the LKN Area aShortChronicle 10/17/2012 VS. Precinct 206 parts Lake Norman's otherwise sea of red Lake Norman Citizen 11/16/2012

(Incidentally, on January 31st the NC Senate introduced bill S39 to reinstate partisan judicial races on only it's 2nd day in session.)

Now, if we could just get the "real" media to dig a little deeper on some other important stories we'll really be getting somewhere!

However, my guess is that if you want to get the whole story on some topics you are going to have to continue looking elsewhere.  Hopefully, aShortChronicle will continue to be one of those places.  With municipal elections, major transportation infrastructure issues, and the business as usual government chicanery, year two promises to provide plenty of good stories.