Bill Thorndike, Patch Staff

I was born and raised in southern Connecticut and went to college in Maine, where I began my journalism career in 1979 at <i>The Camden Herald</i>. I returned to Connecticut and spent most of the next 20 years in newspapers, founding a weekly paper, the <i>Mystic River Press</i>, in 1992.  I switched to corporate communications in 1999, working for 10 years at Pfizer Inc.  As local editor of the Ledyard Patch, I am returning to my first career. I am married and my wife and I live in an old house in Mystic with our three small children. 

I also have two college-age children. I am a huge UConn Huskies fan. I have a real estate license. I have always had a boat, I play guitar badly and I love to cook breakfast for the gang. My music heroes are Stevie Ray Vaughan and Ludwig van Beethoven. My favorite contemporary authors are Anne Lamott and David Sedaris. My all-time favorite books are<i> The Grapes of Wrath, To Kill a Mockingbird </i>and<i> The Good Earth. </i>

Phone: 860 287-4920

Email: bill.thorndike&#64;patch.com

<b>Beliefs</b>

<i>At Patch, our mission is always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. We also acknowledge that perfect impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. In the spirit of honesty and transparency, therefore, it is our policy to disclose personal beliefs to our readers, not as a license to inject our beliefs into stories, but so that by having them on record we will be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair and balanced way. (And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.)</i>

<b>Politics</b>

I am a registered Independent and have supported candidates from both major parties, plus a few minor ones. Close friends describe me as a closet conservative, although I believe my political leanings are more liberal than conservative.

<b>Religion</b>

I was raised in a Congregational church and have been a member of the Union Baptist Church in Mystic for the past 12 years.  My church is active in the community, contributing in significant ways to various social causes.  It welcomes all worshipers and practices an open communion table.

<b>Local hot-button issue</b>

One overarching concern in Ledyard today has been a less-than-effective, at times dysfunctional town government, particularly in the area of Zoning and land use. This has resulted in reduced or suspended services, even as residents continue to pay some of the highest taxes in the region.