E-mail: david.powell@patch.com

Phone: 610-462-8458

Hometown: North Brunswick, NJ

Bio: I'm a former information technology professional who began to rediscover his childhood love of writing through a series of freelance music writing assignments in 2003.  I later covered local school, government, and business matters for a number of area newspapers.

After spending the past couple of years working in public relations and marketing, I'm glad to be able to return to journalism in my adopted hometown.  The son of two Irish immigrants, I grew up in North Brunswick, NJ.  My family has lived in Limerick since 2005.  I have two daughters and am completing my master's degree in history at Villanova University.

I was the founding editor of Limerick-Royersford-Spring City Patch and was promoted to associate regional editor for our main Montgomery County region in June 2011.

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 editors to inject their beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that their beliefs are on the record will cause them 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.

Politics 
How would you describe your political beliefs?

Most of my liberal friends think I'm kind of conservative.  Most of my conservative friends think I'm pretty liberal.  I think that's a good sign.

Religion
How religious would you consider yourself? (casual, observant, devout, non religious)

I would describe myself as an agnostic who is cognizant and appreciative not only of his Catholic cultural heritage, but also of the contributions that the wider Judeo-Christian tradition has made to Western civilization.  I believe that religion is a deeply personal issue, and I strongly support the First Amendment rights of all Americans to practice the religious beliefs of their choosing without interference from others.

Local Hot-Button Issues
What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?
Where do you stand on each of these issues?

I think Limerick, Royersford, and Spring City's current identity as a bedroom and commuter community for the greater Philadelphia metro area is under threat from its dependence on Route 422 as an auto corridor.  As the population of the western suburbs continues to grow, pressure on the already overcrowded roadway is going to continue to increase and make the Spring-Ford area less accessible...and less desirable as a place to live and work.

I'd like to see our municipal governments and the residents they represent become more involved with the activities of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, which is devising its own plans for the overhaul of the Route 422 corridor with relatively little input from the towns it serves.  I'd very much like to see passenger service restored to the historic Philadelphia-Reading rail line that travels through Royersford, either as part of SEPTA or as part of a new agency outside SEPTA's control.  I'm not excited about the idea of tolling Route 422, but I don't have any better ideas for generating the funds needed to pay for improvements to the corridor.