Mike is the editor of Lawrenceville Patch. A lifelong New Jersey resident who was raised in Metuchen (Middlesex County), he is a graduate of St. Joseph High School in Metuchen. Mike came to Lawrence Township in 1991 to attend what was then known as Rider College. He spent the first semester of his junior year attending Queen Mary and Westfield College in London, England, as part of Rider's Study Abroad program. Although he graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications in 1995 (by which time Rider had become a university), Mike chose to remain in Lawrence Township, having built strong ties to the community.
Mike spent 15 years working as a reporter and photographer for The Times of Trenton, specializing in covering the crime and breaking news beats. During his career with The Times, Mike was honored for his writing and photography with seven awards from the New Jersey Press Association, Garden State Journalists, the New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and the North Jersey Press Club. Mike has also worked as a freelance reporter and photographer for several other publications, and his work has appeared in The Trentonian, The Virginia-Pilot, The Tampa Tribune, Business Travel News and Firehouse Magazine.
In 1992, still in his freshman year at Rider, Mike joined Lawrence Road Fire Co., one of the three volunteer fire companies that protect Lawrence Township. Mike has been an active firefighter ever since and has held several fire-line and administrative positions over the years. Mike also served for a year as an emergency medical technician with Lawrence Township First Aid Squad, back when the township's ambulances were staffed by volunteers. Unable to commit the time necessary to remain active in both volunteer organizations, Mike gave up riding the ambulance.
Mike is a diehard New York Giants fan whose interests include photography, local history, and most British television shows. Mike and his wife Ann bought their home in Lawrence Township in 2003. Their son James was born in 2007.
<strong>Beliefs</strong>
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 you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you 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.
<strong>Politics</strong>
How would you describe your political beliefs?
I understand the need for politics and political debate, and for political news coverage. But, truth be told, politics in not my favorite subject. I do vote, but I have no allegiance to any particular party.
<strong>Religion</strong>
How religious would you consider yourself? (casual, observant, devout, non religious)
I was raised Roman Catholic, but I have not been a regular church-goer in a very long time. I guess I would described myself as non-religious.
<strong>Local Hot-Button Issues</strong>
What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?
Property taxes are obviously one of the biggest issues facing Lawrence Township and the entire state of New Jersey. The amount in taxes that New Jersey residents pay is amazing in comparison to what those in other states pay. With the new 2 percent tax cap, Lawrence Township is going to have some difficult decisions to make in terms of what services are going to be cut. And everyone is going to have a different opinion of what should or can be cut.
Discussions and exhibits that trace the growth of Lawrence Township from the colonial era to today will highlight the Lawrence Township Community Foundation event begin held from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 27 at Lawrence High School.
Here's a roundup of notable police activity in Lawrence Township from Oct. 10 through Oct. 22.
Four Lawrence Township teenagers and a 59-year-old township woman were arrested after marijuana and drug paraphernalia were allegedly found inside a Lawrence Square Village townhouse.
The awards from the county’s Commission on the Status of Women will be presented on Nov. 8.
Here are highlights from some recent Lawrence Hamnett Soccer Association matches. If you have any photos from the games you'd like to share, upload them here!
Here are highlights from some recent Lawrence Hamnett Soccer Association matches. If you have any photos from the games you'd like to share, upload them here!
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-Hopewell Township) and his opponent Republican Eric Beck of South Brunswick are competing for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District. The election will be held Nov. 6.
The man, described as being in his 40s, grabbed the buttocks of a 19-year-old Ewing Township woman as she shopped in Pacific Sunwear at Quaker Bridge Mall on Monday, according to Lawrence Township police.
As part of a Breast Cancer Awareness Month initiative known as the “Pink Sock Promise,” students at Notre Dame High School will each wear one pink sock, with the matching sock from each pair being worn by a woman important to the individual student.
A Lawrence Township resident for the past 10 years, her funderal services were private.
Daniel Mejia - who graduated from Lawrence High School as valedictorian in 2003 - works as a foreign diplomat for the U.S. Department of State. He returned to Lawrence High last week to speak to students from the school's Academy of Arts & Hum
Artwork created by students at Lawrence Township's Slackwood Elementary School can now be viewed by people across the world, thanks to a partnership between the school and the Artsonia.com online kid's art museum.
Mark Shriver was on hand to sign copies of his book "A Good Man: Rediscovering My Father, Sargent Shriver" and to pay tribute to his late father, who was instrumental in the global expansion of the Special Olympics movement in the 1980s a
Volunteer firefighters from the Lawrenceville, Lawrence Road and Slackwood fire companies will provide potentially life-saving information during the event from 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the firehouse on Philips Avenue.
Under state law, a sample ballot must be delivered by mail to every registered voter. However, the Mercer County Clerk’s Office has placed sample ballot information on the web as an additional convenience for voters.
Seniors should beware of unscrupulous or fraudulent activities during the annual Medicare open enrollment period, which runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7, 2012.
On Oct. 28, Westminster Conservatory’s Kaleidoscope Chamber Series will open its season with a concert honoring the 150th anniversary of the birth of Claude Debussy. The free concert will take place on Rider University's lawrence Township campus.
Archaeologist Richard Hunter and Howell Living History Farm historian Larry Kidder will speak during the event on Oct. 26.
Here are highlights from some recent Lawrence Hamnett Soccer Association matches. If you have any photos from the games you'd like to share, upload them here!
Lawrenceville Main Street’s annual fall festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Oct. 21.
