renea.henry@patch.com
914-623-8788 twitter.com/ryenypatch Beliefs  At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible and human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal certain key beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable.  This disclosure is not a license for our editors to inject these beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that our beliefs are on the record will force us to be ever mindful to write, report, and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you, the user, ever think you see evidence that we failed in this mission, we wholeheartedly invite you to let us know. Politics How would you describe your political beliefs? I think political affiliations are always more complicated than they seem on their face. Political parties hardly ever comfortably package the full range of a person's ideological beliefs. That said, I am registered as a Democrat because I really wanted to vote in the presidential primaries. As far as local politics are concerned, I consider myself an independent and have voted across party lines on many occasions. Religion How religious would you say you are? Casual, observant, devout, non-religious?               That's complicated. I consider myself culturally Catholic. Having grown up in New Orleans, I consider that denomination a matter of my culture more than any reflection of my ideological beliefs. I take my spiritual beliefs very seriously, but I do not agree with many Catholic doctrines. I don't consider myself religious, but I do attend services occasionally. I respect all denominations and try to expose myself to as many faith traditions as possible. I believe they have more in common than their liturgical or political differences might suggest. Local Hot Button Issues What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?              Since I'm new to the area, I haven't formed a lot of firm opinions. So far, the impact of the economic recession on the ability of local governments to plan for the future and prioritze seems to be the most salient issue.  Where do you stand on each of these issues?              I really am an interested, neutral bystander. I believe in fairness, not a theoretical concept of objectivity. In time, I'm sure I will form my own opinions. But you'll never see any bias in my coverage. My job is to present fair, useful coverage for the community and I think that's far more important a responsibility than sharing my particular assessment. But if you're really interested in my opinion on anything, let's have a cup of coffee...