Letter From The Editor

Given the private email messages and phone calls I received Friday regarding  and the tenor of those messages and calls, I feel a need to press the editorial pause button for just a moment.

In writing a story about the one-year anniversary of Irene, it was never my intention to dredge up old wounds or reassign blame. Instead, my intention was to note how the town came together and helped those in need. To illustrate how the adverse results of that storm had a hand in creating , a grassroots group that is leading the public charge against the size and scope of the .

Unfortunately, I had not yet arrived in New Milford when Irene hit. Yes, unfortunately. Why? 

The role of a journalist is to record a moment in history. To create a referential record by which people can review and learn from. I did not witness people being evacuated from their homes in boats. I did not talk to people whose homes were still filled with water as they tried to salvage everything that they could in order to find their way back to normal. I was not here to talk to the governing body and be an impartial conduit of pertinent public information. Although my predecessor filled me in as best she could, I have no first-person narrative and lack all claim to the referential touchstone that Irene has become.

I arrived in the wake of the immediate aftermath of Irene. I arrived to find a community of people still reeling from the severity of the damage wreaked by this tropical storm. I arrived to find a community of better angels working to see past the devastation and band together to help each other rebuild their homes, their lives, their hope that better days were coming.

Traveling from neighborhood to neighborhood, I witnessed a spirit of community so strong, so intense, so genuinely concerned for each other that everyday when I left New Milford, I drove east with a stronger faith in the goodness of people; I left with the firm belief that when people come together to help those in need, remarkable things can happen. 

So when offered the opportunity to be the editor of New Milford Patch, I accepted without hesitation, understanding my role would be the great balancing act of my professional career; and understanding that in order for Patch to continue to make positive strides in New Milford, solidly reported stories written from the street level without bias or slant needed to be the focus in order to deliver a credible account of the daily happenings often overlooked by other media outlets.

In doing so, I have eagerly embedded myself into the community--attending almost every fundraiser, sporting event, civic activity, committee meeting, mayor and council work session and public meeting, board meeting, awards ceremony, graduation, dedication, snow storm, emergency situation...leaving my family at all times of the day and night because I take my role and responsibility to the citizens of New Milford very seriously. And, I absolutely love what I do. 

Almost as important as the stories themselves, are the comments. The intention of the comments section is for people to engage in constructive discussion and friendly debate. To answer many of you who have reached out to me, the comments are not the expressed opinion of Patch. They are the sole opinion of the reader. They provide an outlet where facts can be put forth to bring readers to a higher level of understanding of a situation.

As editor, I strive to ensure that the comments stay relevant to the story. Many of you may not agree with some of them, but often a conversation is sparked or a constructive debate ensues that leads to a better understanding or the revelation of information. In answer to a reader's email question, responses are monitored and there have been responses that have been deleted. 

As we round the corner into the political season, I ask that comments stay relevant to the story and don't stray into the realm of personal attacks; that opposing viewpoints are respected and lead to insightful discussions and debates; and that all dialogue remain courteous.

Thank you all for your time and continued support. 

Ann