Les Masterson is senior regional editor for Patch and leads sites in MetroWest Boston, the South Shore, Cape and the Islands and Rhode Island. Previously, he was a regional editor for Patch and oversaw 14 sites on the North Shore and Merrimack Valley.
He has been in journalism more than 15 years, most of it in community journalism. He was editor of The Arlington Advocate for seven years and was an editor of the Burlington Union and reporter for the Lexington Minuteman. He was also senior online editor for HealthLeaders Media, a multimedia publishing company that covers healthcare and specializes in news for the healthcare C-suite. He also wrote a weekly column about health insurance for HealthLeaders Media. He has lived in Greater Boston his whole life, but is an avid New York Mets fan. Les hopes readers won't hold that against him. He has traveled to the 48 continental United States and has been to more than 40 major league baseball parks. 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 One of my elementary school memories is making a Reagan/Bush sign with a blank piece of paper and crayons in 1980. I remember the other kids had Reagan and Carter signs (I think one even made an Anderson sign), but I was the only one who included the vice presidential candidate.  I ultimately registered as a Republican as a young adult and George H.W. Bush remains a favorite. During the Clinton years, however, I became disenfranchised with both major parties and became an Unenrolled voter. I vote for the candidate – not the party, and consider myself a moderate, which is rare in this polarized political climate in which Democrats only watch MSNBC and Republicans only watch FOX. I want Patch to be a place for all sides whether Democrat, Republican, Unenrolled, Green, Libertarian or whatever your political affiliation.  RELIGION I was raised a Roman Catholic, but no longer attend church. My mother is very religious and goes to church seven times a week; she more than makes up for my apathy. That said, I enjoy talking to religious leaders and am inspired by their passion for God.  LOCAL HOT-BUTTON ISSUES: Affordability. The cost of living is on the rise and many residents are struggling with the costs of raising a family. Maintaining a community feel while finding new revenue to help pay for services. Some communities have received a boost from new commercial developments, but there is limited space to build in the area. Cities and towns will need to continue to pursue growth opportunities, but will also need to be careful not to sacrifice its identity.