Civic engagement at the local, state and federal levels has declined significantly over the past several decades. Increasingly, it seems like we are all in our own well-maintained echo chambers, where our beliefs are instantly confirmed thanks to algorithms designed to keep us angry.
There is no single cause for this dip in civic engagement. Increased digital isolation, intense political polarization and the erosion of traditional community structures have helped foster a culture with lower trust in governing institutions, decreased community group membership, reduced neighborly interaction and lower volunteering rates.
Part of what drew me to journalism initially was the hope of bridging that divide. We live in an interesting time — it has never been easier to find the truth, yet so much of political discourse is saturated with blatant lies and falsehoods.
While civic engagement nationwide may be declining, there is at least one community where it is alive and well: the Village of Sea Cliff.
When I graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2024, I had no idea what the future held. I had lived in Syosset for most of my life, and considering that the typical salary for a new reporter right out of college is not exactly generational wealth, I decided to begin carving my own journalistic path right from home.
My knowledge of Sea Cliff before this job came from my high school running days. I remember seeing the entrance to what I viewed as an artsy coastal community on my way to track competitions at North Shore High School.
That early impression changed quickly once I began covering the village as a reporter. The “village of volunteers” lived up to its nickname. Nearly every week there seemed to be another community event, meeting or discussion about the future of the village.
What struck me most was how many people were willing to take time out of their busy lives to attend meetings about village issues and stay informed about what was happening in their community.
There were certainly moments of heated debate. But more often than not, there was an underlying understanding that everyone wanted to make the village better — even if they had different ideas about how to get there.
Covering the many unique people of the village along with issues like the ongoing debate over the Propel Project and battery energy storage systems, village as well as school budgets, composting — and that one time Pirate’s Booty founder Robert Ehrlich tried to take control of the village government — made me a better reporter and person.
My time at the Long Island Herald has come to an end, and I will soon be starting a new chapter. But the lessons I learned covering Sea Cliff — about community, civic engagement and the importance of showing up — will stay with me wherever I go.
Thank you to the people who welcomed me into their meetings, their events and their conversations. And finally, thank you for everything, Sea Cliff.
