Happy New Year!

Last April when I began to make posts and tell people about NewsOverCoffee, I thought I had an idea that would help people stay informed about the community and in turn make the community a better place to live. Eight months and a few local controversies later, it seems it has come to fruition.

This past month, despite taking the last week off for the holidays, over 5,500 unique visitors caffeinated their brain with NewsOverCoffee. Best of all, I've met a lot of good people who have sent me emails to post, recommended articles to reference, and have supplied information to me for future posts. Ensuring the site is not by me, but instead by and about us all.

So for 2007, I'd like to see:

• A continuation of open meetings and public comment at all governmental meetings.
  
• Residents from each township and borough in NASD to send a short email following their respective monthly meetings so we can all stay informed with these government bodies.
• To that end Upper Nazareth's supervisors met yesterday, Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. to pass a budget and blamed the timing on a combination of a lack of understanding and direction - ought to scare everyone in the township (read the article here and here).
  
• A school budget that does not include a tax hike and is focused on classroom teaching not administrative overhead.
• A new school building that has more classroom space than extraneous space and that makes economic sense.
• A quieter, less controversial year than 2006 was.

Asking too much? Maybe? But isn't that what the start of a new year is all about?

Happy new year and best wishes for a great 2007!