I'm a blogger, journalist and close watcher of politics, especially at the local level. Like most in my profession, I'm a voracious news and information consumer. Other than politics and media, some favorite topics are economics and technology. However, I'm interested in just about anything that is smartly written and also informative or enlightening in some way. As a result, when not writing, I am likely reading.

I'm also a strong proponent of civic education and community involvement and believe that journalists have a critical role to play in fostering an informed citizenry.

On the flip side, I believe that we media professionals can, in many cases, do a better job than we are doing. I try to always personally model the behavior that I would like to see adopted by my colleagues. I also try to only work with organizations commited to, among other things, transparency and an open dialog with their audiences.

Finally, I believe in everyone doing what they can to make life better in their community and I myself donate to local causes and volunteer whenever possible.