Greg Johnston, Patch Staff

A refugee from the newspaper industry, Greg Johnston has been a journalist for more than 30 years, most of them with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which vanished into the pages of history in March of 2009.  He also served for four years as wire editor/reporter at The Daily World in Aberdeen on the Washington Coast, and worked as a news writer and wirephoto operator at the Associated Press Seattle bureau while attending the University of Washington. Greg graduated from the UW's School of Communications in the Rose Bowl victory year of 1978 – Go Dawgs!

He sees in Patch the opportunity to continue doing what he does: real, honest journalism, now on line, at a hyper-local level, in his hometown. Adventure-oriented since a child, Greg loves to hike, backpack, fish, ride his mountain bike, run, kayak, snowboard and take nature photographs.

He lives on Finn Hill with his wife and has three grown children, one a U.S. Army infantryman and Afghanistan War veteran, and two beautiful grandchildren.

<b>Your Beliefs</b>

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. 

<b>Politics</b>

How would you describe your political beliefs? Are you registered with a certain party?

I am fiscally conservative and socially liberal. I support a strong military, but believe the answer to conflict is tolerance, understanding, diplomacy and dialogue. I dream of the day Americans can withdraw from foreign conflict and look inward to address issues such as unemployment, homelessness, poverty and environmental protection. I am not a member of any party.

<b>Religion</b>

How religious would you consider yourself?  

I was baptized a Christian and would call myself spiritual, but not devout.  I find peace in nature, in the Pacific Northwest&#39;s mountains, forests, rivers and seas and along its magnificent ocean shoreline.

<b>Local Hot-Button Issues</b>

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

Where do you stand on each of these issues?

Kirkland is a relatively affluent, largely suburban bedroom community where quality of life issues are important. The challenge will be maintaining a vibrant downtown and neighborhoods while preserving their small-town charm. I think quality of life should not be sacrificed for economic development; rather, I think maintaining a high quality of life is essential to a strong economy.