Joseph Rizza, Patch Staff

Email: joseph@patch.com

Phone: (631) 383-1605

Bio: I am a longtime resident of the Town of Islip who is fortunate to be covering the great community of West Islip. I am a graduate of Islip High School and Hofstra University. For the past 10 years, I have been covering the Village of Mineola for a community newspaper. I am looking forward to getting to know everything about the West Islip community, from its wonderful organizations to its civic-minded residents. I look forward to getting to know all of the community leaders in West Islip. I'll try to move as fast as  I can through the West Islip community, although it should be noted that I ran a very modest 33:16 in the 12th annual Elizabeth McNamee 5K Run. If you have a story or there is an issue you believe needs some public attention, please feel free to contact me.

<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 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. </i><br><br><b>Politics </b>

<i>How would you describe your political beliefs? </i>I vote for people, not parties. A candidate who intends to do his or her best to serve the constituents is the candidate that gets my attention.

<b>Religion</b>

<i>Do you consider yourself religious:</i> Yes

<i>Do you identify with a certain religion:</i> Catholic

<b>Local Hot Button Issues</b>

<i>What do you think are the most important issues facing the community? </i>It seem that no matter what community you are in, the big issue is taxes. It is a difficult issue since residents want great schools to send their children too. At the same time, some residents are finding it increasingly difficult to pay their property taxes. Financial issues can also be found on the local government level as well as the state level. People need tax relief but governments are finding it more difficult to present balanced budgets.

<i>Where do you stand on these issues? </i>I think there are ways communities can band together to improve their communities. Organizations formed by residents can work together with local elected officials to make positive changes to the community. West Islip is fortunate to have organizations such as the West Islip Summit Coaltion, West Islip Association and the West Islip Beautification Society among others.

For more, see westislip.patch.com/articles/welcome-to-west-islip-patch-2.