Danielle Cabot, Patch Staff

Hometown: Hard to say. I was born in Long Beach, California, but I&#39;ve been a Minnesota girl since 1995.<b><br>Birthday</b>: Jan. 20, 1983<br><b>Bio: </b>Graduated in December of 2006 from the University of Minnesota with degrees in journalism and global studies, with a Latin America area focus. Promptly jumped into coverage of the state Legislature, then worked as a non-partisan writer for the Minnesota Senate. Took a position as the news editor of the South-West Review for two years before joining Patch.<br><br><b>My 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 and human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal certain key beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable.</i>

<i>This disclosure is </i><i>not a license for our editors to inject these beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: We hope that the knowledge that our beliefs are on the record will force us to be ever mindful to write, report, and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you, the user, ever think you see evidence that we failed in this mission, we wholeheartedly invite you to let us know.</i>

<br><b>Politics </b><br>How would you describe your political beliefs? I&#39;m socially liberal, possibly libertarian to a degree. I thoroughly enjoyed economics, free market theory as well as Marxist social theory in college. There is no one right answer in today&#39;s complex world.

<br><strong>Are you registered with a certain party?</strong> No<br><br><b>Religion</b><br>How religious would you consider yourself? (casual, observant, devout, non religious) Humanist<br><b><br>Local Hot-Button Issues</b><br>What do you think are the most important issues facing the community? I think Mendota Heights Patch communities are concerned about maintaining development standards, ensuring strong education for students, and having a say in maintaining the natural environment that is part of our cities.

<br><strong>Where do you stand on each of these issues?</strong> I think elitist development standards can exclude certain demographic groups from joining the community, which worries me. With that being said, taking ownership in our neighborhoods, education system and environmental health is a priceless attribute and residents should feel lucky to live in such an invested community.