Nicole Ball, Patch Staff

When Nicole Ball was a child, she and her parents played the game, "Let's See Who Can Keep Quiet the Longest." As you may have guessed, Nicole always lost.

Talking eventually led to communication as Nicole learned that listening can be fun too. Eventually she became a journalist where talking, listening and writing came together as a perfect combination.

Transitioning from print journalism to the web, Nicole is happy to be serving the community of Branford up-to-the minute news with lots of free web space for conversation.

She resides in Branford with her husband and a gaggle of pets and loves every minute of her life in the little cottage by the sea.

Nicole received a bachelor degree in communications from Temple University in 2001 and worked schlepping coffee as a journalism intern at several publications in the Philadelphia area and eventually at the Village Voice in New York after college.

Nicole loves Branford and the people that make the town so interesting, eclectic and vibrant.

Your 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. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you 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?

Extremes scare me. I see my self subscribing to beliefs right down the middle; but that's not to say that there are not certain issues I stand firm on in one direction.

Are you registered with a certain party?

I have been registered as both an independent and a democrat. _

Religion

How religious would you consider yourself?

I don't like the word religion. I find God or spirituality in people and nature. I find that being a good servant of one's faith is less about sitting in the pews and more about serving the community in whatever capacity that is. 

Local Hot-Button Issues

What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?

There are a lot of issues in town, many of which are related to property, buildings and the town's use of these places. I think there are many more hot-button issues that I would like to think about before adding. 

Where do you stand on each of these issues?

As a journalist I like to observe both sides of issues I think the property issue can be a confusing one. While I have a great understanding about property issues in town,  I don't have a deep reaching knowledge about the history of some of these issues. As many of you know, a lot of the property issues in town have been ensuing for quite sometime. Before sating how I feel, I'd like to educate myself.