I think it was 12 years ago I met Randy Schultz at the Panera on Yamato Road and asked him if he’d consider writing a column for us at Boca magazine. He’d recently left the Palm Beach Post after many years, in one of the first waves of journalists taking buy outs or early retirement as print newspapers began their gradual decline. By then he’d done about everything you could do as a journalist, starting as a sports reporter at the Miami Herald in 1974 (sports reporters are famously considered the best writers at a newspaper, just FYI), and working at the Post from 1976 to 2014 where he was managing editor and editorial page editor.
I couldn’t believe he said ‘yes‘ and all of us at the magazine were excited. He would cover local government primarily, publish twice a week, and provide commentary. Yes, he was an excellent reporter (with a memory bank that is intimidating) but it was the commentary that I counted on. How he explained precedent and the repercussions of local decisions, and who stood to gain—and lose. He pointed out frivolous lawsuits and incivility just as he applauded government choices that made good business sense for Boca and Delray. He trained a laser eye on Tallahassee and raised red flags we local municipalities needed to see. Yet through it all he did his best to remain apolitical and fair—as much as that made some readers angry and others grateful.
I know how hard Randy worked, how he covered every council and commission meeting, how he tracked down local powers that be for their comments, even though some refused to talk to him. He added an entirely new dimension to this magazine’s scope, and he provided much-needed coverage of South County government and civic life to our population. As legacy newspapers pulled back from comprehensive local coverage, Randy Schultz took up the slack—and then some.
Randy’s column, City Watch, has been required reading here for years—and has educated me weekly on the issues and challenges facing Boca, Delray and Florida in general. To say the end of this column leaves a glaring void in our local culture and our local news coverage is not an understatement. It is a very great loss.
As a former colleague, I know Randy has earned his leave taking. He’s got grandkids (just ask him) and a rich life apart from his work here at Boca magazine. But I will miss him. I’ve had a long career, as he has, and in that time, I can count on one hand the people I have worked with whom I truly respect. Randy Schultz is one of them. Thank you, Randy, for all you have done for us here.
