Email: kathryn.dolac@patch.com

Phone: 727-365-2531

Hometown: Her hometown is the U.S. Army. At one time or another, she's called North Carolina, Indiana, Germany, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Virginia, Hawaii and now, Florida her home.

Birthday: November 27

Bio: Katie is the editor of Dunedin Patch. She spent six years in print journalism as a features reporter and editor at various Virginia newspapers before joining the government herd as a writer-editor at the U.S. Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. Ultimately, she missed serving her community as a reporter and journalist, and let her heart carry her to Dunedin Patch. When she's not writing (or editing), Katie may be found with her nose in a book, sweating in a yoga class, huffing and puffing in a half marathon or in the midst of some other activity with potential for a little adventure and a good story. 

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
How would you describe your political beliefs?

I'm the product of a military upbringing. I'm an independent thinker with what most might consider conservative values. Having just lived in the Washington, D.C. area, I can honestly say that I dislike politics and politicians in the national arena as they are today. I believe that true change starts small: first with the individual, then at the community level. We are in charge of our destiny. We must be vigilant and caring citizens for this thing called freedom and democracy to work, and the only time we have is now. So don't be afraid to start small.

Are you registered with a certain party?

I figured I'd register to vote while I was in the process of obtaining my Florida driver's license in December 2010. Although I'm much more comfortable not being affiliated with a party, I was told that I would not be able to vote in primaries unless I checked "Democrat" or "Republican." Well, I certainly didn't want to miss out on my chance to fulfill my civic responsibility (my military upbringing demands it), so I stood, dumbfounded, as I weighed options of a question I'd never before considered. The clerk patiently waited for my response. "Uh ... Republican?" And just like that, I became a newly registered Republican. Although, I hold no allegiance to the party and have already considered changing my voter registration back to "unaffiliated."

Religion
How religious would you consider yourself?

I am born and raised Roman Catholic and regularly attend Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Dunedin, but I maintain respect for the dignity of each individual to choose his or her own religious traditions. I've been to services of all kinds and know many beautiful souls (both friends and family) who hold varying spiritual beliefs. I am open to spiritual dialogue and welcome the opportunity to learn about other people's journey and relationship with their Creator.

Local Hot-Button Issues
What do you think are the most important issues facing the community? Where do you stand on each of these issues?

Like lots of people living in Dunedin, I am a transplant, so I'm somewhat of a blank slate. I had my feet on the ground in this community for a matter of days before the writing of this biography. I won't pretend to be an expert of this city's issues, but I do know that you take great care in exercising economic planning and development so as not to lose your charm, your sense of culture, history or identity. It's one of the qualities that attracted me to the city, and you can rest assured that I consider it my humble honor and duty to ensure that whatever the issue, it is reported here with truth, accuracy, compassion and respect.