Graelyn Brashear, Patch Staff

I began my career in journalism in 2008 at the Asbury Park Press. I became a staff writer there in early 2009, covering several Monmouth County towns, writing for the paper's Sunday feature section and magazine and frequently reporting on breaking news. In 2009, I took second place in the New Jersey Press Association's Robert P. Kelly Award category, which recognizes first-year reporters.

I earned a journalism degree at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, graduating as a member of the Kappa Tau Alpha journalism honors society. At Rutgers, I studied at Cook College (now the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences), and minored in plant science. I started there with scientific aspirations, failed a freshman-year chemistry course and happily realized I'd been kidding myself if I thought I wasn't going to end up a writer.

New Jersey became my home when my family relocated to Hopewell Township from central Virginia during my high school years. I still think the part of the Blue Ridge mountains where I grew up is the prettiest place on earth, but I love my adopted state, and the shore area where I've lived for several years.

The pizza's better here, too.

I married my Jersey boy in May 2011. The two of us are ardent birders and collectors of old bottles and books. We live with our two cute cats in an ancient Barnegat house complete with creaky attic and trapdoor cellar. 

<b>Beliefs</b>

<i>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 and human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal certain key beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable.</i>

<i>This disclosure is </i><i>not a license for our editors to inject these 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 force us to be ever mindful to write, report, and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you, the user, ever think you see evidence that we failed in this mission, we wholeheartedly invite you to let us know.</i>

<b>Politics</b>

<i>* How would you describe your political beliefs?</i>

I&#39;m not registered with a particular party, but I tend to lean left on national issues. That often goes out the window in local elections. I put more weight on policy than politics. And I keep an open mind.

<strong>Religion</strong>

* What are your religious beliefs?

I believe our founding fathers did a brilliant thing by enshrining freedom of religion in the First Amendment. 

<b>Local Hot Button Issues</b>

<i>What do you think are the two or three most important issues facing the community? Where do you stand on these issues?</i>

It would be a challenge to find somebody who didn&#39;t name too-high taxes as a big problem for Barnegat, and the state as a whole. With state aid decreasing , stabilizing the tax rate will be more challenging than ever, and will require creativity and compromise. But it has to be done, or the people who live here – from seniors on fixed incomes to young families just starting out – will go elsewhere.

Businesses in Barnegat need a boost, too. I think the local government and the township as a whole need to rally around the establishments that set Barnegat apart, especially in the historic downtown, and help them capitalize on their unique draw.

Protecting the environment, especially the bay we border, is vital to our economy and well-being – you don&#39;t have to be, in the words of one conservation-minded bayman I know, a &#34;tree-hugging duck snuggler&#34; to understand that. I think one of the best ways to foster environmental stewardship is to create and support parks and open space that allow people to get to know our beautiful wild areas.