Email: Caitlin.Mazzola@patch.com
Phone: 203.446.7090
Hometown: Born and raised in Milford, Conn.; recently moved to the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, right near the Fairfield line.
Birthday: January 4

Caitlin Mazzola recently graduated magna cum laude from the University of Connecticut with a B.A. in journalism and communication. During her time at UConn, she wrote for UConn's student newspaper, The Daily Campus, and served as the Focus Editor from May 2010 to May 2011.

During her last semester at UConn, Caitlin took part in an investigative project that looked into the state's resources for adults with autism. The end result, State of the Spectrum, is a website and 10-page print publication, the latter of which she created, designed and published for the class.

Caitlin has reported community news throughout her college years. She covered Milford for The Milford Mirror and The New Haven Register and most recently covered town government for Milford Patch. In the fall of 2010, Caitlin covered the town of Willington for The Manchester Journal Inquirer, reporting everything from people-of-the-town features to municipal elections and hotly contested teacher contracts.

Caitlin now looks forward to taking a part in this emerging new wave of online journalism. As she learned in school, the field is an ever-changing one, and we must be ahead of the curve to succeed.

In her free time, Caitlin enjoys reading, cooking/baking, following the Oscars race (she makes it a point to see every best picture nominee each year), and rooting for her lifelong loves and No. 1 heartbreakers, the Boston Red Sox.

Your Beliefs

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.

Politics

I prepare for each election with an open mind, researching as much information on major issues as I can comb through, from each major candidate. My belief is that the best voters are those who are most informed, and I hope to be an exemplary voter in every election. 

That said, the first major election I could vote in was the 2008 presidential election. I learned it's important to not get swept up by the momentum of rhetoric and to take into account all sides and views.

Religion

I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic school from pre-k to eighth grade. The most important thing I learned in those 11 years at St. Mary School in Milford is the Golden Rule: Treat people as you would like to be treated.

I believe nothing else matters – apply this rule to every area in life and you should have a pretty peaceful population.

Local Hot-Button Issues

I am new to town, but I think there are a few hot-button issues that remain the same across the nation: taxes/budgets (and anything that crops up that affects taxes), education, and town leadership.

The Metro Center and its accompanying issues are Fairfield-specific hot topics I've come to learn about. Crime in the area – like the wave of burglaries happening around town – is also a concern.