Editorial: Who’s your person of the year?

Every year at this time we use this space to ask Suffolk Times readers to nominate candidates for our People of the Year issue. In our first issue of 2014, we will name a civic leader, educator, businessperson, public servant and overall person of the year.

With their poignant nominations, our readers have always played perhaps the most important role in the selection process. Last year, they helped us choose a wide array of worthy recipients, from the town emergency response team that guided us safely through Hurricane Sandy, to an environmental group that has helped to protect our health for four decades and a teacher who makes learning fun for his students.

We’ve always prided ourselves on honoring people from diverse fields and all walks of life. We want to hear about people like the teacher who went above and beyond to help you become a better student or the business owner who never stops giving back to the community.

This town is loaded with residents who work tirelessly to make our area a better place. We always have a growing list of people who are more than qualified to earn such an honor. That list can never be too long.

We realize there are a great many people doing big things in their community who don’t seek the spotlight. As a result, the work they do is hardly noticed. That’s who we’re talking about.

Do you know such a person? Let us know.

Nominations can be mailed to Times/Review Newsgroup, P.O. Box 1500, Mattituck, NY 11952. Or you can email the editor at [email protected]. Faxes are OK, too; our fax number is 631-298-3287. Or just give us a call at 631-298-3200 and ask for Michael White at extension 152.

Tell us why this person or group is deserving — and please be sure to give us your phone number so we can follow up. All correspondence will be kept confidential, so the people nominated don’t even have to know you are singling them out. Nominations should be submitted by Dec. 4.

We plan to announce our People of the Year in the Jan. 2, 2014, edition.

We’ll do our best to keep our awards hush-hush until the day the paper comes out. Become involved in the selection process. Practice your own random act of kindness by helping us showcase a deserving friend or neighbor.