Randy Kraft, Patch Staff

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<b><b>Email</b><b></b><b>: randy.kraft&#64;patch.com</b></b>

<b><b> </b></b><b><b>Phone: </b>484-560-9979<b> </b></b>

<b><b> </b></b><b><b>Hometown: </b>Allentown<b> </b></b>

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</b><b><b>Birthday: </b>June 30<b> </b>

</b><b><b> </b><b>Marital Status: </b>My wife Irene works as a feature writer at a newspaper in Allentown. My two stepsons are Emmaus High School graduates. Charles Allen manages a CVS in Ambler. He started out in the old Rea &amp; Derick on Chestnut Street. David Allen is a cardiologist with the Heart Care Group. Our youngest, Ranger, is a yellow lab who loves everybody.

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<b>Professional Background: </b>Reporter at The Morning Call in Allentown from 1973 until 2007. I was the full-time travel writer for 15 years, going everywhere from Dorney Park to the Galapagos. During my last four years at that newspaper, I had a southern Lehigh County municipal beat, which included Emmaus, Upper Milford and the East Penn School District. More recently, I was editor of a weekly newspaper in Quakertown for more the six months. I also worked in various field and office supervisory positions for the U.S. Census Bureau for more than nine months in 2009 and 2010.

<b>High School/College: </b>Graduated from William Allen High School in Allentown in 1969 and Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee, OK, in 1973. (I was the token Yankee Lutheran on campus.)

<b>Hobbies:  </b>Watching movies, reading historical novels and political thrillers, vegetable gardening and multi-day trail riding on horseback in Tioga County<b>.</b>

<b>Favorite flicks: </b>Cool Hand Luke, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Stand by Me, The Wild Bunch.

<b>And now a word from our sponsor….Be right back….</b>

<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. This disclosure is not a license for editors to inject their beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to those beliefs. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that editors&#39; beliefs are 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.</i></b><b> </b>

<b><i> </i></b><b>Okay, I&#39;m back….</b>

<b>Randy&#39;s Beliefs….</b>

<b>Journalism: </b>More than 40 years after I began studying journalism, I still believe in its most noble ideals: writing the truth; serving citizens as a watchdog on government; informing people about what&#39;s happening in their own communities, and being as fair, objective and accurate as possible. Being able to help other people is the most fulfilling part of being a journalist. It is a noble calling. 
I also believe journalists must adhere to standards of integrity, both personally and professionally. And journalism has an obligation to lead. Journalists stand on the front lines in defense of democracy, decency and fair<b> </b>play.<b> </b>

<b>Politics: </b>

<b>How would you describe your political beliefs? </b>My rural friends consider me a bleeding heart liberal. Some of my liberal friends think I&#39;m conservative. As a journalist<b> </b>trained to see both sides of the issues, I tend to be inconsistent. But no more inconsistent than folks who oppose abortion but favor capital punishment. I often think I&#39;m socially liberal and financially conservative. Like I said, inconsistent.

<b>Registered with a certain party? </b>Registered Democrat who almost never votes a straight party ticket.  Fortunately, those &#34;Democrat&#34; and &#34;Republican&#34; labels that divide us have little relevance in the day-to-day operation of local government, except at election time.

<b></b><b> Religion:</b>

<b> </b>Raised as a Lutheran, I am a non-church-going Christian who never has doubted the existence of a living God. God is not trapped in a church or an ancient sacred book, but reveals Himself to humans every day through small miracles, answered prayers and this beautiful planet teeming with life. Admire a sunset and tell me there is no God. This Earth is not just an accident of science.

<b>What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?</b>

The economy. Local governments are struggling to maintain services, so they ponder raising taxes, while residents struggle to pay their bills and keep their homes. Worst hit are the unemployed, who are desperate to find work -- not just for money, but to restore their productivity and their pride. They become invisible to the rest of us. And it&#39;s hardest for those in their 50s and 60s, whom no one wants to hire. Age discrimination is alive and well in the job market.

<b>Where do you stand on each of these issues?</b>

No matter what it takes, even if we have to walk away from a war or two on the other side of the world, put every American back to work. <b> </b>

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