Founding publisher: Incorporation drove paper’s creation

It was January 2006, a month after the formal launch of the City of Sandy Springs and six months since local voters had overwhelmingly approved the formation of the city from a northern slice of unincorporated Fulton County. I overheard some neighbors talking about zoning proposals being considered by the new city council. “How can I get more information about that?” I asked. My question was met with shrugs.

Go Deeper: More stories about Sandy Springs @ 20.

My first instinct was to look in the daily metro newspaper, but I found only limited coverage of what, at the time, was important news for my neighborhood. That doesn’t seem right, I thought; with so many issues confronting Georgia’s newest city, there should be a local newspaper for residents to read and rely on for up-to-date information.

I had moved to the unincorporated area 10 years earlier and, busy with work and family, watched from a distance as the Sandy Springs cityhood movement finally succeeded. Now, it seemed that we needed a paper of our own, focusing on everything that was happening in our community.

So, I put my publishing experience to work and, with the help of some family and friends, started Springs Publishing. A year later, in January 2007, the first issue of the Sandy Springs Reporter rolled off the press. (Eventually, Springs Publishing would include five more community publications.)

From the beginning, the intent was to offer readers a credible and colorful source of local news with a singular mission—to provide timely and useful information about our new city. We were focused on the people who shaped the community and made it a lively place to live. They were friends and neighbors, reflecting the diversity and energy of this new hometown.

From that first issue, reader feedback in the form of letters, comments and story ideas grew noticeably — along with the number of ads from a wide variety of businesses that could now market their goods and services in a cost-effective manner to nearby readers.

In the first year, the Sandy Springs Reporter provided extensive coverage of the city’s efforts to establish its own police force, pass a tree ordinance, and adopt a comprehensive development plan, among other key initiatives. The paper also shined a light on some overlooked local historic sites such as Glenridge Hall and Morgan Falls Dam.

Some of our best stories over the years came from local people and places: Friends chatting at the Saturday farmer’s market, a homeowner’s group addressing a city council meeting, a school fundraiser, a neighborhood business owner. Usually, the local matters we covered didn’t make the headlines of a big city daily newspaper or fit the sound bites of radio and television news. Nor do they pop up in a Google search. Yet, they were – and still are – the cornerstone of our mission.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since Sandy Springs became a city and nearly as long since the Sandy Springs Reporter was created to inform and illuminate its residents. Five years ago, I was delighted to welcome a new owner, Keith Pepper, who expanded the print and digital reach of the papers while adhering to the same editorial mission and values.

I’m retired now but continue to call Sandy Springs home, with grown kids and grandchildren nearby. And I still get my local news from the Sandy Springs Reporter. Steve Levene is publisher emeritus.

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