Denise Konkol, Patch Staff

I graduated from Marquette with a degree in Journalism, but had my specialty in advertising, and I spent about the next 10 years working in proofreading, collateral (a term for advertising pieces that aren&#39;t considered catalogs or newspaper) and eventually management. I still loved writing though and opted to leave rather than be an administrator.  The next 10 years provided that experience, mainly through freelancing and eventually as my own business in promotional writing.  Putting my hometown (truly, it&#39;s not Milwaukee) as my next writing endeavor through Patch has been a blessing and an honor.  I am thrilled to chronicle where this city has been, is and is looking to become.</b>

<b>I live on the fashionable southeast side ;) of the city with my daughter and golden retriever, both of whom take up the down time.  I love to read biographies and history, running, and renovating.  Some day I hope to do those things more regularly.</b>

<b>My Beliefs</b>

<b>It&#39;s simple, really:  tell the straight story and treat the people in them with respect and even the bad news that may be revealed will in turn earn the respect of readers.  I ask the same things that readers expect from us, and that is truth and ethics.  I embrace the marketplace of ideas that comments can be, but I will pull comments that are overly personal and mean-spirited, as it adds nothing to the debate.  While being a Muskego resident means that many people in our stories are acquaintances or neighbors, I believe that fairness and balance in coverage is essential to our survival as a news source, no matter who we are interviewing.</b>

<b>That said, we may make mistakes, and I count on all of you to let us know if information we have is incorrect. Again, the intent is always to present news fairly and accurately.</b>

<b>Politics</b>

<b>I am a conservative.  This might have an impact if I were solely writing a blog, but as this is a news and information site for my community, it is my duty to keep political slant out of the reporting, as it should be for any news site.  Opinions will be stated as such, and when in articles, it will be from quoted sources alone.</b>

<b>Religion</b>

<b>Growing up in Muskego, I attended St. Leonard&#39;s and now belong to St. Mary&#39;s in Hales Corners.  Faith is important to me in that it centers me and helps me maintain perspective, strength and a positive attitude.  I hope what that means for my role here is that I am again fair, honest and respectful with our readers and the people we cover.</b>

<b>Local Hot-Button Issues</b>

<b>Let&#39;s face it:  until there is a building built at the corner of Lannon and Janesville, the 900-lb gorilla in the room will be the Parkland Mall site.  No topic has ever set off passionate opinion, and no topic has ever been more convoluted in its long history.  I am sure it will come up and as best as we can, we will present the issues as they are in fact. </b>

<b>Secondary is basically any issues of progress in a city that loves its small-town feel.  My hope is that anyone with ideas for or against shares them with the people in charge of making the decisions, and not just anonymously in a comments forum.</b>

<b>My stance is that Muskego needs to move forward and it can do so without sacrificing its character or natural resources.  The success of that will ultimately depend on a collaborative effort (not a combative relationship) between our elected officials and the citizens.  I have always remembered something an old employer told me: don&#39;t bring a complaint unless you also have a positive suggestion or solution to address that complaint. </b>