Neal Simpson, Patch Staff

<b>Email: </b>neal&#64;patch.com<br><b>Phone: </b>781-698-7785<br><b>Hometown: </b>Seattle, Wash.<b><br>Birthday: </b>Nov. 4, 1984

<b>Bio: </b>Neal got his start as a reporter for the Brookline TAB about a week after graduating from Boston University, where he had served as editor of a fiercely independent student newspaper called The Daily Free Press. After three years at the TAB, where he eventually served as editor, Neal left in 2010 to help launch Brookline Patch.

Neal comes to Brookline from the damp environs of Seattle, where he grew up and learned to tolerate bad weather. To this day, he still prefer the frozen horror of a nor &#39;easter over a gray rainy day on Puget Sound.

<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 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. <br><br></i><b>Politics</b>

I tend to vote for the candidate with the best ideas, and am currently registered as &#34;unenrolled&#34; in the state of Massachusetts.<br><br><b>Religion</b>

Don&#39;t have one of my own, but I welcome the opportunity to experience and appreciate the religion of others.<br><b><br>Local Hot-Button Issues</b>

As the glacial economic recovery rumbles on, the challenge for Brookline, and all communities, will be to find ways to maintain and improve municipal services in the face of falling tax revenue and outside funding assistance. I expect budget season to be fraught with small battles for years to come.