A Happy 2021 to all! I pray as you are reading this, you and your loved ones are healthy, happy, and well. My title is from “Man in the Mirror,” Michael Jackson’s hit song with a message from 1988. It’s the perfect battle cry for the New Year. Google it and read the lyrics or give it a listen.

It’s hard to believe we’re embarking on the 19th Year of the Webb Weekly. I remember sitting down with my Father and discussing the project that became the Webb Weekly like it was yesterday. A lot has changed since we began the Webb Weekly. It’s even more beyond belief that it has been over eight years since my Dad left us for a better place.

One thing that will never change is our commitment to provide the best publication possible for the local community. The good news about people, places, events, and activities that make our neck of Penns Woods so special.

Within my column, I always call it as I see it, just like my Father. I believe you would be hard-pressed to find a person that talks to more people or travels more miles in Lycoming County and its fringes than I do. I try to always do it with a smile and have no problem asking a tough question no matter who I’m speaking with. And for all that know me, I talk to everyone just like my Father. I am always interested to know what’s going on around me and what you think. “We the People” know the truth about what’s really going on. My contact information is always available on page four, and you can talk to me about anything. I never expect or want you to agree with everything I say. I want to hear what you think, especially if you disagree or know something I don’t.

I try to answer every individual that reaches out to me personally. And no matter what you say to me, I will almost always respond as a gentleman. There have only been a few exceptions over the years. That has been when someone has attacked my family or someone I consider family in a troll, mole, or hater type way. Then you get what I’ve inherited from my Father and Pappy Maietta. I do my very best not to go there, but at that point, they have earned it.

My staff and I are proud of our publication that reaches over 58,000 homes and spills into four counties adjacent to us. We consider ourselves a partner with all the businesses that advertise within our pages. It is the responsibility of every employee I have, no matter their job title, to give our clients their best each and every week. I have great people working with me that make this all possible. I am proud of the support of the local business community and the response they receive to advertising within the Webb Weekly. It is our job to be the best advertising medium anyone may choose. Whether it’s a classified ad or full-page ad, we are response driven with the same commitment.

In today’s world, analytics is to advertising as it is to baseball — a great way to cloud the water and lose games. I believe you use all information possible; however, at the end of the day, the most important thing is to win on the scoreboard or ring the cash register. That is truly how success should be judged.

I thank all who read the Webb Weekly, whether it is the hard copy or online. It is your readership and support of the local business community that advertises within our pages that make it all possible. Thank you for welcoming us into your home each week.

If you have anything you would like to see within our paper, please let me or Editor Steph know. Steph has been with the Webb family since before we even began the publication. I have watched her grow before my eyes, from working in the mailroom and doing clerical work to being the editor of a direct mail publication with one of the largest distributions in the Mid-Atlantic Region. For those of you that think she’s my daughter, she is not. I like to think of her as my younger sister, however. Steph has put in a lot of time, sweat, and tears for the Webb family over the years. And anybody that knows my Father and I know that blood or marriage are not the only way to be considered part of the family.

The Webb Weekly is grounded in God, Family, Country, and Community. This commitment will never waiver. We will always thank and support the servicemen and women that have provided American freedom since the Revolutionary War. We will always thank and support law enforcement. Without a safe neighborhood and community to reside in, you cannot enjoy your freedom. We will always thank God for all our blessings, which should begin with the day at hand and the ability to choose all that is good through the acceptance of Jesus Christ.

It is up to all of us to make the most out of 2021. It begins with individual positivity and approach. It is accomplished through selflessness and togetherness. Simply put, we must love and take care of each other. We must not allow anything to divide us and our working in the name of good for community. We must all come to the understanding the answer is never more legislation or governmental dependency.

God Bless America.