Email: david.moran@patch.com
Phone: 860-308-6690 Hometown: Moved around a lot as a kid...long story...  Birthday: November 16, 1980 David Moran earned his bachelor's degree in English with a concentration in Journalism and Professional Writing from Western Connecticut State University in 2003, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and was the recipient of the school's Barbara Widner Award for Creative Writing, and a master's degree in Film and Writing from Boston University in 2005. David considers fair, accurate, honest journalism to be a valuable public service and one of the cornerstones of any free and open society, and is proud and honored to be able to call the craft his profession. His writing and photography has appeared in a number of print and online publications, including The Boston Globe, The Hartford Courant, for the Associated Press, CTnow.com, Courant.com, Pulse Magazine, Metromix.com, INDIA New England, and the Danbury News-Times. He also worked briefly in the film and TV industry in New York City (don't ask…). Prior to joining Patch, David worked a two-year stint as a beat reporter at the Record-Journal in Meriden, where he covered the communities of Meriden and Wallingford, as well as state and local politics. When not working, Dave likes to run. He's also a massive San Francisco 49ers fan (in case the Patrick Willis jersey didn't already give it away). His dog also enjoys the San Francisco 49ers.   My 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.  We hope that the knowledge that our editor's beliefs are on the record will cause us 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? Hopefully apathetic. One of the favorite quotes I've ever heard tossed around a newsroom is "nothing destroys one's belief in the Democratic process like witnessing it in action firsthand."  And, as a reporter, that's definitely how you spend a lot of your days...but sometimes it can also be sorta funny, I guess...  I would say I'm probably equal parts progressive and pragmatic, and that the three things I value most politically are: results, accountability and integrity.  Are you registered with a certain party? No, I'm an independent voter not registered with a political party. I don't care which political party the politician might hail from, as long as their policies are sound, practical, fair and prudent , I'd support them. Unfortunately, that seems to be less and less the case these days on either side of the aisle.  Religion How religious would you consider yourself?  I was raised staunchly Irish Catholic - even attended Catholic school in Ireland for a while as a boy, which can be a frightening thing, believe me - but I no longer follow the faith or ascribe to any other organized religion. Seeking out and finding God is a very personal thing, I believe, and each person needs to come to that relationship in their own way, or choose not to.  That said, I would definitely say that my Catholic upbringing heavily influences my world view. I'm a firm believer of the principal that one should always do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Local Hot-Button Issues What do you think are the most important issues facing the community? Since I'm not from the town I cover and I don't reside in the town I cover, I guess I sort of have an outsiders perspective on this question that, I hope, allows me to approach it from an objective angle.  I would say that like most close-knit, suburban communities, Manchester residents value that line between strong local services - quality schools, good roads and water, recreation, etc. - and low taxes. Keeping the two in balance appears as though it will be increasingly difficult in the coming years because of the economy, so it should be interesting to see how exactly that's going to play out.  Where do you stand on each of these issues? Everyone always wants more for less. And, you know what, I can't really say that I blame them. I do too myself in a lot of ways. But I think there also needs to be accountability and reasonable expectations for what you have to sacrifice as a community to keep taxes low or maintain a high level of services. As the man says, "you can't have your cake and eat it too."