Erin Schultz, Patch Staff

After a colorful career balancing music, freelance writing and spending a good couple of years waiting tables to pay the bills in mid-Michigan, Erin Schultz decided to head to New York City after being accepted to Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in the fall of 2007. She graduated the following May with clips published in newspapers and magazines across the country. She also developed a new appreciation for the magic of multimedia-based journalism, something that she believes Patch is taking to a very intuitive, natural level for the Internet audience.

Before becoming the editor of NorthFork.patch.com, Erin was a staff writer at the Times/Review Newspapers, a series of weeklies on the North Fork. From two-part stories on environmental projects vital to the area's economy to profiles of visiting rock stars, she consistently dug up good stories for the towns of Southold and Riverhead. To accompany many of these pieces, she also shot, edited and produced short videos for the papers' websites. Alongside all of the human interest reporting, she also wrote many stories on wineries, the environment, alternative energy, and fishing — issues always at the forefront in public discourse in this largely agricultural and coastal community so close yet so far away from the Big Apple.

Though journalism is now her full-time gig, Erin still enjoys learning songs on the acoustic guitar, reliving her days as the front woman for a popular Michigan-based bar band called Trailer Park Barbie (yes, Mattel tried suing). Fleetwood Mac, AC/DC and Michael Jackson still rule her iPod. Erin also tries to make time to run every day at various gorgeous locations across the North Fork — an endlessly-interesting slice of the world that, in just over two years, this transplanted writer has grown to love.

<b>Your Beliefs</b><br><i>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></i><br><b>Politics </b><br><i>How would you describe your political beliefs? </i>

I try to follow the voice of reason, though it&#39;s not always there in politics or in life, unfortunately.

<i>Are you registered with a certain party?</i>

No.

<b>Religion</b><br><i>How religious would you consider yourself?</i>

Hard work. Respect. Truth. Love. Music. Fun. About that much.<br><br><b>Local Hot-Button Issues</b><br><i>What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?</i>

Balancing how much energy is put into drawing tourists to the area vs. how much is invested into people who live here full-time. Keeping young people here, creating worth-while jobs and affordable places to live are only a few of the issues under this umbrella across the North Fork. Parking in Greenport during the summer needs tweaking or it will soon disappear. Overbearing fishing regulations are putting professional anglers out of business. Environmentalists are fighting a constant battle to keep our water clean. This just the tip of the issue iceberg.

<i>Where do you stand on each of these issues?</i>

How do you invite economic growth while protecting the environment but without invoking that famous North Fork &#34;NIMBYism?&#34; I don&#39;t know. But I do know there are a lot of people working hard to find and keep that balance here, and I&#39;m dedicated to following that work to the best of my ability.