By John Schaffner

I have been asked: “What is the philosophy and the focus of the Buckhead Reporter?”

Simply put, our philosophy is to be the best darn community newspaper in the metro Atlanta market.

Our focus is on what makes Buckhead tick: Its government. The community leaders. The civic organizations. The neighborhood associations, schools, churches. The major issues that affect the residents’ lives and pocketbooks. And, just plain folks who have an interesting story to tell, or simply make an interesting story because of who they are or what they do.

I like to say the Buckhead Reporter is the type of community newspaper you will find in small town USA, but we just happen to be located in a major metropolitan market.

These days, just about anyone can find out what is going on in the world, the country, the state and to a lesser extent the metro area by going to the Internet.

But you can’t find out what is happening down the street, in your neighborhood, let’s say in your own backyard from logging onto the Internet. That is what the Buckhead Reporter will bring you every other week. We hope you will find your neighbors as interesting and your local news as compelling as we do, starting with this issue.

In order for us to do our job well, we need your help. Send us news tips, organization news, calendar items so that we can better serve your needs. My email address and phone number is listed on this page and I look forward to hearing from you.

As for this column, it may occasionally be light in nature. It may applaud a person, an organization or an action taken. But, there will be times when this column will be devoted to what I believe is a major issue. Or, it may be critical of actions taken by public officials or a government agency.

For almost five years, I was the editor of similar newspapers in intown Atlanta and Mayor Shirley Franklin and members of city council can tell you I often took them to task. But I always allowed them to reply and they often used the word “fair” to describe my work.

I hope the residents of Buckhead will feel the same about this column and the tone and coverage of the Buckhead Reporter. Let me know.