Andrew Coen, Patch Staff

Email: andrewc@patch.com

Phone: 516-557-4418

Welcome Video: http://patch.com/A-3xM

Hometown: Orignally from East Greenwich, RI; now residing in Levittown, N.Y. 

Birthday: Nov. 5

Andrew Coen grew up in East Greenwich, R.I. but has been living on Long Island since graduating from Hofstra University in 2002 with a B.A. in Print Journalism and minor in History. Since Hofstra, Coen has worked as a reporter for the Nassau Herald and at financial publications at Institutional Investor News and Crain Communications. Coen has also worked as an editor for a Hofstra University athletics blog called "Inside the Pride" and co-hosted a radio show about Long Island high school sports for "Ultimate Athlete Magazine." Coen considers himself a major news junkie who enjoys following politics and is a die-hard sports fan, especially when it involves Hofstra teams.

Your 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 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. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.

Politics

I follow politics very closely and do have some strong feelings on certain issues but I take great pride in not letting my political beliefs interfere with my reporting and always strive to be as objective as possible.

Religion

How religious would you consider yourself? (casual, observant, devout, non religious) I was raised Jewish but consider myself very secular.

Local Hot-Button Issues

The issue of installing cell towers in Wantagh and surrounding communities has become a local hot button issue lately as many people are concerned about having these poles erected near residential areas. A major challenge facing both Wantagh and Seaford and other communities on Long Island is trying to balance the importance of having a high quality public school system without placing too much of a tax burden on residents. The lack of affordable housing and rental apartments is also a major problem that is driving many young people who want to live in the area they grew up to leave Long Island.

What do you think are the most important issues facing the community? Where do you stand on each of these issues? I think supporting one's public school system is very important both for the benefit of the local children and to keep property values high. Districts on Long Island like Wantagh and Seaford face an extreme challenge when crafting budget proposals because of a lack of state aid from Albany as well as not having much of a commercial tax base to work with, resulting in tough decisions by the school board and administration.  It is vital that residents are educated about the reasons behind a budget proposal so they can make an informed decision when entering the voting booth.