I am thrilled and honored to take over as the guest editor for Patch. Although "guest" appears before my title, I'm very much at home in this special town. My famly moved here in the late 70's and I graduated from the high school where I played baseball and football. I was on Lou Marinelli's first team in 1981 and 31 years later he's still here, and now I'm back. I've aged a lot since then, while the Rams coach, somehow, has aged very little over the last three decades.
I'm following two incredibly talented editors in Sheryl Shaker and Jane Preziosi, who set the bar high not only for New Canaan, but for every Patch in the region. For the last four months, I've been the editor for Patch in Norwalk and I gained an appreciation and new found respect for the city that borders New Canaan. But New Canaan is home and I can't wait to get started.
With all that, I can honestly say that in the year-and-a-half I’ve been contributing to Patch, and most especially during the time I’ve spent as Guest Editor, I’ve learned to appreciate this town and its people in a whole new light. Thanks to Patch, I’ve learned so much about the hard-work and resilience of small business owners and those who work with them, the dedication and professionalism of this town’s employees and the remarkable gift of time and talent given by those who serve as volunteers in government and throughout town. Patch celebrates the joys and pride evident in this town’s residents and offers a forum to honestly discuss the important issues we all confront. Welcome, Paul. It’s great to have you here. I know you will bring a fresh perspective and great energy to Patch. I’ll be contributing from time to time, and look forward to following New Canaan’s continuing conversation on Patch.