Email jason.koestenblatt@patch.com
Phone 908-310-6898 Hometown Long Valley, NJ (of course!) Birthday Dec. 18, 1982 Bio Jason Koestenblatt has been around Long Valley for the better part of 20 years. He loves it here and wants to raise his family in this beautiful town; that's why he's ecstatic to serve the Washington Township community as Patch's local editor. A product of the school system (Flocktown Road School, LVMS and WMC), Jason has fond memories of growing up in Long Valley. He married his high school sweetheart Nancy Hey—in fact, they were named WMC class couple in 2000-2001. They now have a son named Jacob. After graduating Kutztown University in 2005, Jason briefly worked for a marketing agency, and then the Daily Record newspaper for more than three years. He's been a victim of the constant cutting in the newspaper industry and knows local news coverage is beginning to suffer because of it. That's why he's made a commitment to serve Washington Township and its residents with the best news coverage possible. You're going to see Jason and his team of reporters and photographers all over Washington Township for a really long time. Feel free to reach out to him, say hey, and let him know your thoughts. Your Beliefs Politics How would you describe your political beliefs?  Depends on the topic, but for the most part I'm conservative. Are you registered with a certain party?  I'm a registered Republican but will vote for the person who will get the job done. Religion How religious would you consider yourself?  I'm an observant Christian. Local Hot-Button Issues What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?  Budget cuts to the school system is a major topic of conversation and it'll be interesting to see how the 2010-11 school year pans out. And, of course, being part of the northern New Jersey region, how can we not pay attention to property taxes? There are plenty of topics that constantly prompt conversation among Washington Township residents, and I'm looking forward to addressing them and discussing them with you.