Emily Kimball, Patch Staff

Nearly a quarter of a century ago, I was born right here in Perry Hall. It&#39;s true­­­—my first few breaths were in a little house nestled along the Gunpowder Falls State Park, less than a mile from the Perry Hall Mansion. Some of my favorite childhood memories include going to storytime at the old Perry Hall library and buying syrupy treats from the Busy Bee Snowball Stand on Chapel Road.<br><br>After graduating from Perry Hall High School, I studied American culture, English and economics at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. But while I thoroughly enjoyed my four-year stay out west, Maryland&#39;s thick, humid air, tall trees and rich history called me home.

I decided to attend the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, College Park.  While mastering the time-tested style points of public affairs reporting, I learned the strange and exciting new craft of online journalism.<br><br>I was soon published in multiple newspapers, magazines and websites throughout Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Utah, writing about everything from major congressional elections to Mexico&#39;s drug war. My coverage of Maryland&#39;s budget crisis and education furloughs landed me a front-page story on The Washington Times. Months later, I wrote about luxury bathroom fixtures for HOME &amp; DESIGN magazine. I built an eclectic and accomplished portfolio of reporting, editing and multimedia.<br><br>Then, on one fated April morning, just months ago, I was contacted by a recruiter and told that I was a great fit for a position as an editor with Patch, a new nationwide media company that vowed to revolutionize hyper-local news.<br><br>Patch was already looking for an editor to start a news website in Perry Hall. I jumped at the opportunity and my life hasn&#39;t been the same since.<br><br><b>My Beliefs</b><br>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.<br><br><b>Politics</b><br>As a student of political history, it&#39;s easy to become disillusioned by the current state of American politics. I can&#39;t tell you how many voting ballots I&#39;ve stared at, just wishing I could write in Abraham Lincoln. In terms of social politics, I am passionate about protecting personal freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights, especially speech, press and religion. I am also a proponent of stronger families and increased civic engagement. Basically, I think the world would be a much better place if parents regularly ate meals with their children and remembered to vote. In terms of economic policy, I believe in less government intervention in the economy. <br><br><b>Religion</b><br>I am a life-long, dedicated member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. More information on my beliefs can be found on Mormon.org. <br><br><b>Local Hot-Button Issues</b><br>Zoning is, and always has been, a big issue in Perry Hall. A lot of people want to move here (for obvious reasons) and roads, schools and businesses struggle to keep up. Over the past 30 years, Perry Hall has lost much of its farmland and historic buildings to developers, which is another major concern for the community. Maintaining a healthy economic climate is also a concern for local small business owners.