In March of 2009, I wandered into the Wheat Ridge political scene, not having a clue who was who or what was what. That’s when I first crossed paths with Wanda Sang and Dean Gokey, my District 2 City Council members, they both suggested I meet Charlie Holcer. Charlie, the founder and editor of the fledgling Neighborhood Gazette, was on a mission. Back then, the Gazette was a scrappy little paper trying to make a name for itself by doing what any ambitious upstart would do — taking a stab at the political scene in Wheat Ridge.
Whether there were real shenanigans at City Hall or just someone making mountains out of molehills, it didn’t matter much to Charlie. He ran stories on the city spending too much on a new logo; city staff salary increases as proposed by a consultant from Dallas, TX; the width of 38th Avenue, if city council was talking about it, he was writing about. He wasn’t afraid to ruffle feathers if it meant shining a light where it was needed. His approach was simple but effective: remind the powers that be that someone was watching. After all, isn’t that the rightful and dutiful role of a journalist?
I met up for coffee with Charlie at the Swiss Chalet in the summer of 2009, just as I was preparing to run for City Council that fall. He explained, with that classic journalist’s glint in his eye, that if I wrote something for the Gazette, it would help me get my name out there, let people know who I was and what I stood for. So, I took him up on the offer. My first article was a straightforward appeal for folks to shop locally. I wrote about how supporting local businesses could help lift our local economy as we clawed our way back after the Great Recession. Over the years since that first cup of coffee, I have been fortunate enough to write over 200 articles for this paper, and for that I will always be grateful to Charlie for giving me that opportunity.
Some of the businesses I mentioned in that first article are still around today, like Quality Auto and Vinnola’s. Others, like Red Tango, have since closed their doors, their buildings now nothing more than vacant lots or repurposed shells. That’s how it goes. Time moves on, the landscape changes, and so do the stories.
But the Gazette? It’s still here. Sure, the tone and tilt of the paper have evolved over the years, but the value it offers remains the same. For those of us who remember the glory days of the Wheat Ridge Transcript, back when it was genuinely a paper about and for the Wheat Ridge community, not just another patchwork of news from all over the Front Range, the Gazette has kept something real and necessary alive.
To be fair, the Colorado Community Media group, which owned the Transcript, was recently sold to the Colorado Sun and the National Trust for Local News. And yet, on May 13th, the Wheat Ridge Transcript was flipped yet again—this time to Times Media Group in Tempe, Arizona. So much for local news, right? Meanwhile, the Transcript has slowly faded into a generic, regional outlet, while the Neighborhood Gazette has kept its focus sharp. Sure, it’s changed hands a few times too, but at least it’s managed to stick to its mission of keeping the community informed and engaged—unlike some other papers I could name.
In 2011, following the passing of Charlie Holcer, the Wheat Ridge Transcript ran an article under the headline, “Writer Kept City Accountable.” For a journalist, I can’t imagine a more fitting legacy. Charlie’s unwavering commitment to holding local government accountable and keeping the community informed was the cornerstone of his work.
The national papers might be adrift, losing their tether to that foundational truth that “democracy dies in darkness.” But here in Wheat Ridge, the Neighborhood Gazette’s light still shines bright. And for all of us who care about this community, that light matters.
