Angela Lemire, Patch Staff

<b>Email:</b> middletown&#64;patch.com<b><br></b>

<b>Bio: </b>Angela received her degree in Communications from Hofstra University on Long Island, NY, with concentrations in journalism and English, as well as television and film production. After interning in the story-department at the now-cancelled ABC daytime drama &#34;Another World&#34; in Brooklyn, she worked as a daily newspaper reporter and features writer covering municipalities in Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts. For several years later, she lived and worked in Los Angeles, California, where she obtained a broad range of media experience working in daily news print journalism, new media journalism, and marketing and media relations.  In recent years, she also worked in television and film production for ABC/Disney and MGM, as well as independent film. Angela has won several writing and journalism awards in Rhode Island and Los Angeles for immersing herself in the community and understanding the audience.

Work opportunities and a desire to be closer to family brought her back to Rhode Island in 2009. She couldn&#39;t be more thrilled to join the Patch team, as she gets to synthesize the powerful mediums of writing, interactive media, and video to better bring to life the stories of real everyday people and real issues, which has always been her constant passion in life.

Angela, along with her cats Bodhi Junior and Charlie, is equally excited to re-plant their Northeast roots in Middletown. Besides being a Pisces and feeling happier near the ocean, Second and Third beaches, along with Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge, have long been her favorite places in Rhode Island. <br><br><b>My 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 our editors to inject their beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that having their 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.<br><br><b>Politics:</b><br><b>How would you describe your political beliefs?</b> A Democrat, fiscally conservative and socially progressive.

<b>Are you registered with a certain party?</b> Yes, Democrat.<br><br><b>Religion</b>:<br><b>How religious would you consider yourself?</b> I was raised a Roman Catholic and I&#39;m grateful for that foundation. I believe in an all-loving creator and source. I&#39;m fascinated by most world religions and spiritual practices, as there is much common ground we all share, but I also like to learn about the historical conditons that helped shape the beliefs of the time. I consider myself spiritual but not religious, and I incorporate elements of Christianity, Buddhism, and Native American beliefs into my daily practice. Finally, I don&#39;t think religion should exist in a vacuum, as so much in history, science and anthropology can help us understand religion and cultural belief systems with greater clarity.<br><b><br>Local Hot-Button Issues:</b><br><b>What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?</b> It comes down to balancing the increasing need for energy sources and preserving the environment. One of the more contentious issues coming up will be the proposed wind turbine power generator overlooking Sachuest Point not far from the beaches. Rhode Islanders historically have fought hard against visual noise pollution. However there&#39;s been an urgency to free ourselves from our addiction to oil and wind power is a clean alternative. At the same time, Aquidneck Islanders seem to be presenting a united front to fight the proposed off-shore LNG facility. If it&#39;s not going to be natural gas to power us for the future, it will have to be something else. And right now, we&#39;re seeing that Middletown residents are being asked to choose their battles wisely.

<b>Where do you stand on each of these issues? </b>I&#39;m adamently against off-shore LNG. The negative environmental impacts and safety concerns are just too great. As for wind power, I don&#39;t think a wind turbine has to be a source of contention when it can stand as a symbol of pride for the community. It&#39;s responsible and forward-thinking for our next generations. This power source can pick up a huge energy shortfall that will make things like LNG off-shore proposals less viable. Wind turbines provide a clean energy source that often end up bringing a profit to the area. There&#39;s a reason why old windmills were once abundant here -- Aquidneck Island has a massive abdundant untapped energy source sweeping right in from the ocean all the time. Like anything Rhode Islanders have to look at every day, people will grow to love it. And finally, it&#39;s worth noting that the old Paradise Park Windmill is already symbolized everywhere in Middletown, so there&#39;s already a proud history at work here for the town and a legacy worth building upon... <br><br><b><br></b>