Kristi Reed, Patch Staff

Former Patch Staff

Hometown: Gadsden, AL

Birthday: February 10

Bio: Kristi began her career in community journalism as a freelance reporter for the Dacula-Hamilton Mill Neighborhood News.  She later served as sports editor and reporter for The Braselton News. Most recently, Kristi worked as a columnist, reporter and web editor for The Barrow Journal.

Kristi has called Dacula home since 1998. Kristi and her husband Craig have been married for 22 years and have two children, Alex and Lisa.  Alex graduated from Mill Creek High School in 2010 and is currently attending the University of Georgia. Lisa attends Mill Creek.

As a long time stakeholder in the Dacula community, Kristi has a strong interest in area schools and local politics.

Kristi's hobbies include reading, painting, playing piano and watching college football. Her near constant companion is her dog Buddy.

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 them to inject their beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that having our editors beliefs on the record will cause them 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

How would you describe your political beliefs?

I consider myself a fiscal conservative and social moderate. I generally vote Republican, but have on rare occasions supported candidates from other parties.

Religion

How religious would you consider yourself? (casual, observant, devout, non religious)

I have a strong appreciation for the guidance and moral development religion can provide.

Local Hot-Button Issues

What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?

When I first moved to Dacula, the area was a quiet, almost rural area. The Mall of Georgia had not been built, traffic had not become an issue and I felt miles away from the problems that plague more urban areas. Within a very short period of time, that changed.

Our community went through a period of rapid growth that created opportunities, but also created serious challenges. As the economy begins to recover, the Dacula community must once again work to balance quality of life with economic development.

Where do you stand on these issues?

Like most parents, my chief concern is the ability of our schools to handle a large influx of students. My son was a student at Dacula Middle School during the period of time the school was jokingly described as having the largest trailer park in the state of Georgia. Despite the challenges of having over 100 trailers in "Falcon Village," the school earned recognition as a Georgia "School of Excellence" due to the efforts of the administrators, teachers, parents and students.

The other schools in our area have had similar successes dealing with the issue of overcrowding, but we as parents and community members must remain involved to make sure that success continues.

As for economic issues, you do not have to look very far to find  stalled commercial or residential development. It is important to get these projects back on track. Our local leaders must continue to work to bring new businesses to the area. The success of these efforts is critical to the area's long term prosperity and to our individual well-being as Dacula property owners and residents.