Have you ever broken your own heart? Because that’s precisely what I’m about to do.

I’m leaving the Tri-City Herald and a calling that I love dearly to take job as a public information officer for the Senate Democratic caucus, a post that will allow me to remain connected to the Legislature, an institution I continue to be fascinated by.

Friday will be my last day for the Herald and I’ll spend it in the Tri-Cities turning in my gear, signing paperwork and saying some difficult goodbyes.

Leaving the Tri-City Herald has proven to be one of the hardest and most personally painful things I’ve ever done. The past four days have been considerably challenging.

But so were the preceding three weeks that led me to this end.

To be sure, this move isn’t about selling out, cashing in, personal politics or personal gain. This is about putting family before all else.

I can’t point to one single reason that fueled this decision. There are many factors involved in the complex equation.

But certainly, the financial troubles plaguing this industry have created considerable uncertainty. And while the Herald has given me every assurance my job is safe in this bureau it’s unsettling how quickly the unthinkable has become reality in this business. With a young family, I’ve no choice but to risk jumping too soon. I simply can’t risk jumping too late.

All this would be far more easy if I had more to gripe about. But I’ve never enjoyed this job more than during the last three years. I work for bosses who have respected and appreciated me. And I’ve worked for a newspaper committed to a brand of journalism that has made me proud to be a contributor.

At this difficult time I can’t help but feel that I’m turning my back on my bosses and coworkers and my remaining colleagues in the shrinking Capitol Press Corps. They’re all suffering under the weight of a larger workload and the exodus of talented friends and colleagues.

It’s hard to walk away from the Tri-Cities, a community I’ve come to call my own and watch over from the statehouse.

And it’s painful to turn my back on the journalist inside me, so full of passion and fight but now trampled and broken.

This will be my final blog post. I’ll spend my last week wrapping up a few stories, gutting this office and making a very difficult trip to Kennewick.

My very heartfelt thanks go out to everyone I’ve run across in this job that has made it so immensely satisfying and rewarding.

A special thanks got to publisher Rufus Friday and former publisher Cheryl Dell for their strong support of myself and this bureau.

But most of all, thanks to the newsroom leadership team of Ken Robertson, Rick Larson and Laurie Williams for their steady guidance, genuine friendship and for providing this marvelous opportunity.

And thanks to you all, too. It’s been a real kick.

And with that I bid you a sorrowful goodbye.

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