This issue of The Hudson Independent marks the beginning of our fifth year of publication, an achievement that began in a rather remarkable way for a local newspaper. Seventy-five civic minded members of the communities we serve came together as shareholders in the Hudson Valley News Corporation, in order to create a newspaper that would be objective and impartial in its reporting.

We have strived toward meeting these goals while covering a diverse range of activities that touch the daily lives of all our readers in Irvington, Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow. The news we report and information we provide reaches some 13,200 homes and businesses in the three villages, and hundreds more through the paper’s availability at key locations.

You, our readers, are the final judges of our work. Winning community respect and journalism awards for maintaining our standards can be attributed to our editorial and production staffs and also to the scrutiny of our Editorial Board. The Board consists of experienced journalists and a cross-section of individuals in associated fields of communication, as well as civic activities. We thought this would be an appropriate time to acquaint you with these fellow villagers who meet monthly to help guide our newspaper..

Kevin Brown

Kevin Brown has been a contributing writer to various publications throughout high school, college and his professional life. He is a long time media professional, having worked in sales and marketing at ABC, CBS, Fox News, and Al Gore’s Current TV. He has lived in Tarrytown for 15 years with two kids in village schools and sports programs. He serves on boards, coaches basketball and his company, Hudson Barter Exchange, is a member of the Tarrytown Chamber of Commerce.

Wayne Coffey

Wayne Coffey is an award-winning sportswriter for the New York Daily News, where he has worked for 25 years. His series of stories on the history of Yankee Stadium last year was voted the best sports feature writing project in the country by the Associated Press. Coffey, who once majored in philosophy and can still quote Kant if pressed, also is the author of more than 30 books, including “The Boys of Winter”, a New York Times bestseller about the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. His next book is a collaboration with Willie Randolph, whose autobiography will be published later this year by Harper Collins.

Paula Etzel

Paula Romanow Etzel, after graduating from Boston University with a B.A. degree in English, worked for publishing firms in Connecticut and New York, where she gained experience in copy editing and children’s publishing. A longtime advocate for non-profit educational and arts programs, Paula currently serves on the board of RiverArts and is an active volunteer for local community initiatives, including the Irvington Business Improvement Committee, Farmers Market, and Film Series, and is active in politics.

Steve Gosset

Steve Gosset spent two decades as a journalist, most recently as a writer, editor and producer at CBS News, where he won two awards for outstanding radio newswriting. Gosset has also served as a writer on the “CBS Evening News” and “Sunday Morning.” Gosset also worked as a reporter for The Journal-News, The Record in Hackensack, N.J., the Syracuse Herald-Journal, and United Press International. He is currently the press officer at Columbia Law School.

Robert Kimmel, chairman

Robert Kimmel’s journalism experience spans more than four decades, ranging from sports editor of a suburban Philadelphia newspaper to Director of NBC Radio News. As a correspondent for the American Forces Network, he reported from Paris and Frankfurt. His positions at a CBS station, and later for ABC News included work as a writer, reporter, editor and producer of radio and television news programs. He was also a vice president at an international public relations company and an adjunct professor of journalism at SUNY. He is retired from a company he helped establish that provides radio and TV news feature reports to stations nationally.

Jennie Lyons

Jennie Lyons teaches at Hackley School in Tarrytown. In addition to computer courses, she advises the school newspaper, the Dial, and teaches introductory and advanced desktop publishing. The paper was awarded First Place for Overall Excellence in the 2007-2008 Journal News High School Journalism Awards. Her interest in journalism began when she was in high school where she wrote extensively for the school and local papers. A resident for Tarrytown for over 25 years, Jennie is a member of the Board of the Elizabeth Mascia Child Care Center and President of Little Gardens of Tarrytown.

Rick Pezzullo, Editor

Rick Pezzullo, our editor, has been writing for newspapers since he was a freshman in high school, covering sports for North County News, a weekly in Yorktown. After graduating from Pace University in 1987, he joined North County News as a reporter and was named the newspaper’s managing editor in 1996, a position he held for 10 years. During his tenure, North County News won numerous state Press Association awards for news, sports and lifestyles coverage. Rick also won several awards himself for news, sports and editorial writing. He joined our paper as a freelance writer in 2007 and was named editor in late 2008. Rick and his wife, Jacqueline, have two children, Cheryline, 20, and Ricky, 16.

Alexander Roberts

Alexander ( Alec) Roberts was a broadcast journalist for nearly 20 years, -- the last 10 years at WPIX-TV in New York City. Roberts won two Emmy Nominations for Investigative Reporting and Spot News, as well as the Associated Press Broadcaster’s Award for General Excellence in Individual Reporting. His stories were aimed at producing change, such as the reclassification of thousands of first time drug offenders in New York State prisons, and the shut-down of a “Contra” military training camp in Florida that had operated for several years. He is the founder and executive director of a nonprofit housing organization operating in four counties with 175 employees.

Barrett Seaman

Barrett Seaman spent 30 years as a correspondent and editor at Time Magazine. He served in five domestic and foreign bureaus, including four years as Senior White House Correspondent during Ronald Reagan’s second term. He edited several sections of the magazine in New York and spent his last seven years as Special Projects Editor, producing half a dozen single topic special issues. He has also written two books, most recently “Binge: Campus Life in an Age of Disconnection and Excess” (Wiley, 2005).

Morey Storck

Morey Storck was the owner of Signature Advertising, a company that engaged in trade and retail advertising, including layout and design, logo and packaging design, photography. He oversaw catalog design and printing, trade shows and sales meetings, fashion shows and handled public relations for clients. Morey is currently editor of a newsletter for the Edgemont Condominiums, in Tarrytown. His education included a degree in industrial and labor relations. He also was among the founders of this newspaper.

Joanne Tinsley

Joanne Tinsley’s editorial experience spans all phases of college educational publishing, including acquisitions, development, management, and marketing. For more years than she cares to acknowledge, she has worked either full-time or freelance for a number of major publishers. Tinsley, a resident of Tarrytown for over 20 years, was involved with the start-up of The Hudson Independent and has been Circulation Manager and on the Editorial Board since its inception.

Don Whitely

Don Whitely’s background has included service as board chairman of the Community Opportunity Center. His other voluntary activities in the community include a variety of committee memberships and civic organizations, such as the annual Community BBQ at the Rev. John Sykes Memorial Park, the Warner Library Annual Book Fair, the Westchester County Salvation Army Advisory Board, the Westchester NAACP-ACT-SO and Community Media.. He exhibits photographs each February at the Warner Library as a contribution to Black History Month. He was Tarrytown’s first African American elected to its trustee board in 1992 and served three terms.