Email: amy.byrnes@patch.com
Phone: 732-856-7217
Hometown: Little Silver, NJ
Birthday: August 13
Amy Byrnes has lived in Monmouth County for over 30 years and loves that there are always new things to discover here. Her path to Patch was as direct as trying to find a parking spot at the Monmouth Mall on Black Friday. A Red Bank Catholic High School grad who majored in journalism at the University of Delaware, Amy helped launch Mirabella magazine as a member of its merchandising department. After starting a family, she decided to get back to journalism and worked for a number of area community newspapers like The Hub, the Asbury Park Press "Red Bank Reporter," and the Monmouth Journal. This summer she got to go for a ride in the Horizon blimp down the coast on assignment and decided that getting paid to do cool stuff is excellent. Most recently, Amy has reported on small business issues online for BusinessNewsDaily.com.
When she's not out playing Brenda Starr, Amy has found herself at times serving as a PTO president and Board of Education member and occasional brownie baker and perennial Girl Scout leader. She also manages the ever-changing moods of three teenagers, a heartbreakingly-sweet 8 year-old, a super-hairy golden retriever and a cat she found half dead in her garage last year who now stares imperiously from her perch on the couch and owns a Snuggie.
At Patch, we promise always to approach the news as objectively as possible and adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable.
Politics
My dad has often cautioned me that in the interest of preserving relationships, it is best to refrain from discussing either religion or politics. This came on the heels of the 2000 election when my mother and I stopped talking for over a month. That being said, I will admit to being fairly liberal socially (I just believe everyone deserves a real chance) but concerned about too much governmental intervention mostly because it is so tainted by special interests and partisanship.
Religion
This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness. ~Dalai Lama
Trouble is, 12 years of Catholic school has given me a complex relationship with organized religion. I am raising my children Catholic and often find peace at church (and in yoga class), but I must admit that I am not above bribing them with a trip out to dinner after mass on Saturday nights to ease their own (and my) religious ambiguity.
Local Hot-Button Issues
Taxes, the closing of Fort Monmouth, a proposed cell phone tower for Tinton Falls, school budgets, ongoing construction at Routes 35 and 36 intersection. Did I mention taxes?
The Seastreak ferry crash, Little Silver revaluation and 19-year-old RBR board of education member were among the month's most-read articles on Patch.
About 16,000 items were wiped out by Hurricane Sandy.
The borough appropriated $1.8 million in emergency funding for cleaning up and rebuilding municipal structures damaged by the storm.
Don't get stuck with the $50 late fee after Feb. 7.
Two percent increases across the board are part of the three-year contract that expires at the end of next year.
More than 75 residents turned out for Monday's council meeting to voice their concerns over financial ramifications of the borough's revaluation.
![Little Silver Waterfront Property Owners Dispute Revaluation [VIDEO]](https://patch.com/img/cdn/users/128203/2013/01/raw/6332ca15ee6c457d7fb06aeeb8780dc3.jpg)
The presentation by Alison P. Block, PhD at the Middletown High School North's Library addresses how to help your child overcome his or her executive function challenges.
Mayor Robert C. Neff, Jr. told a large audience gathered at Monday's council meeting, "This is a train that left the station more than a year ago."
School activities are in full swing this week.
The department took to social media to dispel rumors of numerous shootings around town.
A juvenile was in the process of disrobing when the man allegedly looked into the dressing room at a Freehold mall store.
The borough outlines deadlines and options for those looking to rebuild or finance a home elevation following Sandy.
Networking event was held at Buona Sera Restaurant in Red Bank
The Feb. 3 clinic will focus on the fundamentals of the game for girls sixth grade and younger.
This breakfast, brunch, and lunch chain will hold a fundraiser this weekend for a non-profit organization which helps sufferers of cerbral palsy.
Maple Place eighth-graders traveled back to Wolf Hill to celebrate MLK on Monday with a day of service.
![Oceanport Students Go Back in Time to Celebrate MLK [PHOTOS]](https://patch.com/img/cdn/users/128203/2013/01/raw/46689bc640b967d67b986b416dc9f221.jpg)
Elementary schools are now open to make up for days lost following Hurricane Sandy.
The board needed to give a one-year notice if the contract was not to be renewed.
Shrewsbury Borough School students will be in school.
Signs went up at the downtown liquor store this week for the first time since they came down for a building renovation in 1986.
