Patch User Profile for Kristi Ceccarossi

Kristi Ceccarossi, Patch Staff
Charlestown, MA

Email: kristi.ceccarossi@patch.com Phone: 617-833-3751 Hometown: Various towns on the North Shore Birthday: May 24, 1979

Bio: I've spent about a decade working as a reporter and editor for newspapers in Vermont, Florida, western Massachusetts and Boston. I've written for the Boston Globe and the New York Times, but I'm most proud of the work I've done at small newspapers in small towns, where there was a real sense of community and a meaningful role for the local journalist. I grew up in a very large, very closeknit and working class, Italian-American family that all live within a 10-mile radius of my Nana's house in Revere. I broke the mold by moving west of Worcester and again, when I came back to the Boston area, by moving to Cambridge. I live there now with my partner and our two cats. We're getting gay married next summer. In my free time I am a radical eater. Until this fall, I organized Boston Localvores, a part-blog, part-community organization that built relationships between local farmers, local businesses and local eaters. I also like to cook, play music and hang out in the woods.

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. POLITICS

I would definitely be described by at least half of America as liberal, because I think all people should have free access to health care and education and I don't think anyone should be denied the right to marry or serve their country. But I disagree with a lot of our so-called liberal politicians. And our conservative ones too. Over the last three decades in America, wages have stagnated for working people, while the cost of everything has gone up. I think the people who are making the most important decisions in our country are completely out of touch with what real families are facing. I believe there is a serious and growing gap between the rich and everyone else and it's at the crux of every major issue in our country right now -- on the national, state and neighborhood level. Are you registered with a certain party?

I'm registered as an independent, though I can honestly say I've never voted for a Republican. But I don't always vote Democrat either.

RELIGION

My parents were both raised Catholic, but around the time that I was born, my father became an evangelical Christian. I have fond memories of going to a little community church in Revere, where there was a lot of great music and some wonderful, loving people. As I got older and came out as a lesbian, my father's beliefs became a major source of contention. But I still have a lot of respect for people of faith -- all faiths -- because I know firsthand the support and sense of peace that the church can provide. Unfortunately, I also know the judgment and pain that it can inflict, too. Although I am no longer practicing, I like to think I am spiritual person.

HOT BUTTON ISSUES in CHARLESTOWN

Real estate & Development

Anyone who's from Charlestown will tell you that their community has changed a lot in the last 30 years. The fact is, it is still changing. Real estate development and the high-cost of property in town are big issues. The community supports development projects, but they want these projects to support the community, too. If a development provides important services, some affordable housing and local jobs, the community is likely to embrace it. Development of the Warren Green property and Pier 5 at the Navy Yard are likely to get a lot of attention in the coming months. I think it's important that city officials, builders, designers and Charlestown residents all contribute to the process.

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