Ryan.Buncher@patch.com
(914) 216-4918
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Birthday: April 15
Bio
Before becoming Pearl River Patch Editor, Ryan Buncher was a reporter with the Valley News Dispatch in Tarentum, PA for six years and at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for four years. The Pittsburgh, PA native and University of Pittsburgh graduate moved to Nanuet, NY in 2004 with his wife, Amy, and daughter Serena. He holds a Masters degree in teaching from Iona College. Ryan is a passionate fan of sports at all levels, though six years in Rockland County have not yet broken him of his support of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Penguins.
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?
Are you registered with a certain party? No, I tend to take things on more of a case-by-case basis. I am far more interested in a candidate's qualifications, words and actions than his or her political party. I believe it is important to that everybody vote not only in national elections that garner the most attention, but in the local ones that often have a much greater impact on our communities. As a journalist, I have a particularly strong belief in the importance of the freedom of speech and freedom of the press that we have in this country.

Religion
How religious would you consider yourself? (casual, observant, devout, non religious)

I was raised Jewish and I did have a Bar Mitzvah. I am not a member of any synagogue, but my personal faith is still an important part of my life and an important influence in the way my wife and I are raising our daughter.

Local Hot-Button Issues
What do you think are the most important issues facing the community?

Education and the economy.

Where do you stand on each of these issues?

I am greatly concerned about the impact of our nation's economic problems on our schools. Too many local districts are having to make budget cuts, leaving qualified teachers, teaching assistants and administrators searching for jobs while schools struggle to meet the needs of their students. 

Teachers are also forced more and more to teach to standardized tests rather than focusing on providing a more well-rounded education. Combine this with larger class sizes, smaller support staffs and limited materials due to budget constraints and the crucial job of providing an education for our young people just keeps becoming more difficult. 

Regarding the economy, I am concerned by the lack of patience shown on the local and national levels. The troubles leading to our current financial situation are far too deeply-rooted to be fixed quickly. Sometimes we seem like a car full of children on vacation with economic recovery as the destination, asking "Are we there yet?" repeatedly rather than focusing on the work needed to turn things around.