Yup, it’s our birthday today and we are crowing about it. It’s hard to believe it has been just two years since we first published Our Town Tustin. I had been thinking about this for months before sitting down with our good friend Chris Prevatt from The Liberal OC to discuss my ideas. Chris and Dan Chmielewski have both been great supporters, mentors and friends. Thanks to both of you.

Our first post was, of course, about the hot topic at the time, then Mayor Jerry Amante. It went downhill from there.

We had no idea what kind of hornets nest we stirred up. Jerry was at the beginning of an ill-fated recall that, we found was further sabotaged by his cronies at city hall. Lots of his buddies were asking who we were, as if we were hiding.

Over the years, we have peeled back the layers from an oh-not-so-tranparent and open government to reveal corruption and ethical imbalances the city continues to suffer from, even as our leadership has changed.  This has not been a one-man trek through the bureaucracy. Many city staffers and local citizens concerned with the direction our city is taking have stepped up to the plate to provide me with valuable information and insight. Our readership has grown with renewed interest in our town.

Someone once asked me why I no longer subscribe to newspapers. I tell them I can get all the news I need on-line. Orange County does not suffer from a lack of credible, thoughtful bloggers who are willing to put an effort in to their work. The list we keep updated in our sidebar will provide you with the best of the news and political writers in our county and our town. If you feel something is missing, let us know. We’ll do our best to provide it.

Thank you for the past two years. When I started Our Town Tustin, I had no idea if anyone would take the time to read what I write. The past two years have shown me the blog is a worthwhile effort that was long overdue. I look forward to providing you with years of informative, thought provoking information. Remember, you don’t have to agree with me. I still want to hear from you either way.