One of my favorite tasks of managing this Web site is the interaction with the contributing writers, none of whom are paid for their services, but all of whom are so very talented. They all share one common theme: Love of community. The most recent additions are awesome thinkers: Michael Visconti, Catherine Forester and Irving Davidoff. They complement Tia McDonald, Darlene Vann, Rosi Karnes, Congressman Tom Feeney, Styron James, Lonny Russell, Kelly Azzinaro and Capt. Budd Neviaser. And finally, there is Peter Mallory, my mentor in many ways.
One of my favorite tasks of managing this Web site is the interaction with the contributing writers, none of whom are paid for their services, but all of whom are so very talented. They are share one common theme: Love of community.
The most recent additions are awesome thinkers: Michael Visconti, Catherine Forester and Irving Davidoff. They complement Tia McDonald, Darlene Vann, Rosi Karnes, Congressman Tom Feeney, Styron James, Lonny Russell, Kelly Azzinaro and Capt. Budd Neviaser. And finally, there is Peter Mallory, my mentor in many ways.
These are the people who contribute their thoughts in writing, or in Lonny Russell's case, in drawings, to illustrate their points of view of the world around around them -- here and to the outer stretches of the globe.
They are all thinkers and community-minded people.
I met and recruited every one of them when I was editor of the former daily New Smyrna Beach Observer.
The principle of community journalism is simple: Involve the community and the newspaper will reflect that.
I thought I would share with you my thoughts on these contributors.
Michael Visconti -- Mike is an Italian-American, very proud of his heritage and his adopted Edgewater. He is so patriotic and loves America and what she stands for. He's not afraid to stand up before the City Council and make his peace as he had done over the years. His column here is "American Patriot" and appears on the Opinion page.
Catherine Forester of New Smyrna Beach proudly calls herself a conservative. She provides insightful thought on the presidential election with her "Forester's Fire."
Retired Col. Irving Davidoff proved his love for his country with his landing of Normandy with many other Americans who lost their lives. He's so popular he had a day named after him by New Smyrna Beach. He writes a political column for the Opinion page called "Liberal Mindset."
Tia McDonald, 14, of Edgewater, is a very bright teen-ager who writes "Teen Talk," which appears on the Community page.
Darlene Vann of Edgewater writes her column, "Musings" for the Community page as does NSB's Rose Karnes, whose column is called "First Person."
Congressman Tom Feeney is the conservative Republican who lets us know what is happening in Washington. His "Feeney's Focus" appears on the Opinion page.
Styron James of Edgewater has a unique writing style that matches his unique views of life in his political column, "The Philosopher," which appears on the Opinion page.
Cartoonist Lonny Russell of New Smyrna Beach is an awesome drawer and illustrator who knows how to capture the important issues. You can find his editorial cartoons on the Opinion page.
Kelly Azzinaro of New Smyrna Beach is all business -- literally. She's married, has a baby and is a banker. Sher's also involved in Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce. Her column, "Banking on a Buck" appears on the Business page.
Capt. Budd Neviaser. The New Smyrna Beach fisherman knows a lot about fishing, birds and wild animals. He also provides really neat photos with his column, "Fish, Feathers & Fur," which anchors the sports section.
Last, but not least, is Peter Mallory, a longtime civic-minded resident of New Smyrna Beach, who really appreciates and respects good community journalism. His blog, "The Right Side," is updated virtually every day.
Each of these valuable contributors will be profiled individually in future writings in this blog. E-mails have been assigned to each of them and should be working in the coming days.
Anyone interested in joining NSB News is welcomed to e-mail me at henryfrederick@nsbnews.net.