E-mail: Dawn.Aulet@patch.com
Phone: 815-531-7412 Hometown: Westchester Birthday: Dec. 24 I have lived in Will County for almost a decade. In my years in the area, I have had the pleasure of getting to know a number of residents through my work at two local newspapers, as editor of Channahon-Minooka Patch and one of three editors of Joliet Patch. Although the first home I bought was in Channahon, my children attend Troy schools and much of my time is spent in Joliet. I love the ability to head to the northeast and encounter a city feel or head southwest and land in the country. My favorite place in Joliet is Pilcher Park. I have a Bachelor of Arts in journalism, with a minor in theater from Northern Illinois University. I am currently working on a Master in Education. In the past, I have reported on news, features and education issues and have won awards for my news and feature coverage. I am an avid reader, (who could not put "The Hunger Games" down) love theater, whether on stage or on film, and am a fan of TV shows including Bones, Criminal Minds, Law and Order SVU and, of course, Glee. I lived in Germany for two years and in Georgia for one. I have two beautiful boys, ages 8 and 6. My Beliefs At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. We also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. In the spirit of simple honesty, we encourage editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license to inject our beliefs into stories or dictate coverage according to them. Rather, we hope the knowledge our beliefs are on the record will cause us to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair and balanced manner. If you ever see evidence we failed in this mission, please let us know.  Politics I have voted in every election except two since I have been old enough to vote. This includes primary elections. I believe a lot of people fought for me, as a woman, to have a right to vote and I do not take that lightly. As a journalist, I do not take sides. As an individual, I have an opinion. I do not vote along party lines. I vote by issues and take each candidate on an individual basis. I think debate is healthy and that even if I do not agree with someone on an issue, I would gladly share my opinion in an environment in which it would be respected. Religion I believe we are all spiritual beings having a human experience. I believe in the divinity of all things. And, I believe we each have a spark of the divine within each one of us. We are not all climbing the same mountain of meaning. I believe we need to respect everyone's search for what moves their soul. If we could see past our differences to see the spark of the divine, the world would be a better place. Namaste. Local Hot-Button Issues For both Channahon and Minooka, growth is an issue. A few years ago, the issue was too much growth. Now, that growth has slowed down. The fact that it slowed down so quickly means that housing developments stand half finished. In some cases, villages have had to take over portions to keep residents safe by creating access points or completing infrastructure, just to name a few. Schools in all areas, including Joliet also face the same challenges as schools across Illinois. The state is constantly cutting educational funding and the payments that do remain are often late getting to the districts. All three elementary districts that serve this Channahon and Minooka, Minooka School District 201, Channahon District 17 and Troy District 30c have done their best in difficult times. Those tough times, though, are not over and unfortunately, I think more budget cuts and perhaps staffing cuts are in the future.