Sandy Quadros Bowles, Patch Staff

Sandy Quadros Bowles dreamed of becoming a journalist since she was the president of the Roosevelt Junior High School Writers Club when she was 14. She has been a full-time reporter and editor since 1982 and especially enjoys community journalism. She served as editor of the Valley T&G and OntheCommon.com, two publications that covered the Blackstone Valley.

She has always believed that the most important form of journalism is the one that covers issues closest to home. After decades of work in traditional journalism, she is excited to be joining the Patch.com family and shares their enthusiasm for community journalism. 

Sandy is a proud Portuguese-American, an animal lover and a devoted reader who cannot drive by a bookstore without making a "quick'' stop. She loves to travel and dreams of seeing all 50 states; she currently has visited 27.  

<b>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 writers to inject beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that our beliefs are on the record will cause us to be ever mindful of writing, reporting and editing 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>I was raised in a staunchly Democratic union-supporting home. I tend to be more centrist in my views and believe more strongly in having common sense and finding common ground than in any one party or political philosophy.  

<b>Religion</b><br>I was raised Catholic but respect all religions. My guiding philosophy is: Be the change you wish to see in the world, a more gracefully written form of my other guidepost, the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you would want to be treated. 

<strong>Hot Button Issues<br></strong>I have little tolerance for intolerance and wish that more issues could be debated and decided with civility and respect. As John F. Kennedy said less than six months before he died: In the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children&#39;s future. And we are all mortal.