Welcome to your new digital watchdog

Information is power.

That's a cliché, I know, but clichés become clichés because they carry with them a kernel of truth.

We know information is power because the people who lack access to information are easily manipulated and ultimately cede their power to those who control the information.

This is true at the national level, especially when it comes to foreign policy and intelligence gathering, an area in which secrecy rules and the prerogatives of the citizen have been neutered – often with the help of compliant journalists. (That's why, despite the cries of treason by Washington insiders, the Wikileaks document leaks over the last year ultimately will have a positive impact on our democracy.)

It is true at the local and state levels, as well, where elected and appointed officials can stage-manage the issues in a way that enables them to operate without much opposition – especially when there are few news sources available to play a watchdog role.

That's been the goal of my 20-year career in journalism, all of which has been spent working at local news organizations focusing on matters of direct concern to readers. Most of my career has been spent focused on the towns in Mercer and southern Middlesex counties, in particular on South Brunswick, Princeton and Cranbury. But I also have written – as chief editorial writer for my former newspaper chain – about the East Windsor-Hightstown police consolidation proposal, consolidation in general, the problems facing food pantries and soup kitchens like RISE in Hightstown and Skeet's Pantry in Cranbury, the difficulties faced by undocumented workers and their children and other issues with a direct impact on the area.

Moving from the print world to digital media does not mean a change in focus. Joining a hyper-local news organization like Patch and having the opportunity to oversee a dozen Central Jersey news sites like East Windsor Patch or the recently launched South Brunswick Patch gives me the chance to continue my focus on news and information of value to Central Jersey residents, but to do it with more immediacy.

The day-to-day responsibility for news coverage falls to Local Editor Geoffrey Wertime, but I am here, as well, and I welcome your comments and suggestions. And in return, I offer my pledge to make East Windsor Patch an online community hub, a local watchdog and your first stop for all things East Windsor, Hightstown and Cranbury.

As for this column, it will appear frequently and will focus on local and state issues as they relate to the region.