Dear readers:
There has been a lot of change here over the last 15 years and I am writing today with news of more. When I arrived, CommonWealth was a four-times-a-year wonky print magazine. It then morphed into a print magazine with an online presence and not long after that an exclusively digital publication featuring news, in-depth journalism, and commentary.
What I liked about the job and what I disliked about the job was the same. CommonWealth was a small operation. That gave us the ability to make quick decisions without going through endless meetings and red tape. It was fun to make things happen. But being small was also frustrating because there was always so much more that could be done, so many more stories that could be written. Sometimes it felt like I was on a treadmill where I could never catch up.
Later this year I’m going to get off the treadmill. I will be stepping down as editor and handing the job over to someone new, who can take CommonWealth Beacon to new heights. I’m not sure what I will do next, but I hope it’s as interesting and fun as what I do now.
To all of you, I wanted to say thanks. Thanks for reading. Thanks for returning phone calls. Thanks for the news tips. And most of all thanks for getting involved.
Stay in touch.
Bruce Mohl
A Note from our CEO
On behalf of our board of directors, members and readers, I want to extend our deepest appreciation to Bruce for his extraordinary service as editor of CommonWealth Beacon for more than 15 years.
Under his leadership, CommonWealth magazine and now CommonWealth Beacon have been essential reading for all of us who are interested in and care about public affairs and civic life in Massachusetts. Bruce is widely recognized as one of the best reporters in the Commonwealth, regularly breaking stories and providing in-depth coverage of complicated issues like energy and transportation. His leadership has ensured CommonWealth’s editorial independence and maintained a standard of fair, open-minded and non-partisan coverage that is a hallmark of CommonWealth Beacon.
I was an avid Bruce Mohl reader and fan long before I arrived at CommonWealth Beacon in January 2023. I want to personally thank Bruce for his partnership and for helping to teach and mentor me as I have taken on this new role in the field of journalism.
I also want to thank Bruce for giving us the time to ensure a smooth and successful transition. We have hired Koya Partners, a national search firm with extensive experience in journalism, to lead our search for a new editor. We plan to post the job position in the next few days. In the meantime, Bruce will continue to work with our award-winning executive editor, Michael Jonas, and our terrific reporters to serve our readers and the residents of the Commonwealth.
For now, however, I hope you will simply join me in congratulating and thanking Bruce for his contributions to our state.
– Joe Kriesberg