I cannot count the many hours of this life I have sat watching the cursor, blinking, in the top left-hand corner of a blank page. I stare at the flashing line, with my fingertips on the keys, willing something to happen. But the longer I sit, the harder the cursor pounds, hitting my eyeballs like a ball-peen hammer.

In an ideal world, I your editor and editorial writer would always have something to say ” something poignant and important. But one human mind, left to itself, has the tendency to become a treadmill. No matter how original or insightful one mind hopes to be, that mind chews cud made of the same material.

And that is why the perspective of more than one person is so important for the editorial page.

This morning, the first editorial board of the Sky-Hi Daily News will meet in my office to discuss the thoughts and events of the week.

Five community members have volunteered to come to the newspaper once a week to offer their insight ” and through that sharing to broaden the scope of the newspaper’s community view.

My main role in these meetings is to listen and to use their perspective to inform my writing. I will cull those insights and dig through the comments until I find something worth sharing with the readers of this community.

The voices of five editorial board members keep the editor from pacing over the same worn ground on this page.

The editorial board is made up of volunteers who are chosen from a pile of applications for their level of engagement in the community. The only rule: They cannot be elected officials or work for elected officials.

They serve a six-month term. The turnover keeps the ideas fresh and keeps any one dynamic or line of thinking from becoming entrenched on this page.

They will be joined on the board by publisher Kim Burner, news editor Drew Munro and myself, editor Autumn Phillips. (Occasionally, editorials are written by Drew Munro. We do not put a byline on our editorials because they are meant to represent the opinion of the paper, not the author.)

My hope is that each member of board, by the time they finish their term, will have become a part of this newspaper in a very real way. They will get to know the staff and understand the behind-the-scenes, day-to-day workings of the Sky-Hi Daily News.

And we hope to get to know them and gain a better understanding of their corner of Grand County.

Starting today, the editorial board will begin its tenure. For the next six months, Bill Heiss, Judi Servoss, Jean Kafer, Ilizabeth Adelman and Mary Rupert-Housley will be offering their perspectives, in an advisory capacity, to each editorial.

Bill Heiss of Granby is a university professor and author. In his career, he taught for 11 years at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., and for 15 years as a professor at the University of Colorado in the Graduate School of Public Affairs.

Judi Servoss of Fraser describes herself as a “newspaper junkie.” She moved to Grand County 10 years ago as a second home owner and moved full time to the area after retiring. She serves on the board of the Middle Park Land Trust and is active with Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies.

Jean Kafer of Grand Lake is a retired art teacher, formerly employed at the Granby Elementary School. She is currently involved in Grand County Search and Rescue, the Independent Sports Club, Rocky Mountain National Park Volunteers and Trinity Church of the Pines. She is the board president for the Mountain Family Center and on the board for the Rocky Mountain Repertory Theatre. She is also a volunteer in Kremmling at the Troublesome Horse Rescue therapeutic riding program.

Ilizabeth Adelman is the owner of the Kut Above hair salon in Winter Park. She has lived in Grand County for 12 years and in her position behind her scissors, she hears the opinions of customers that run the gamut ” “from the snowboard instructor who is here for the first time to the ranch hand who has seen it all,” she writes.

Mary Rupert-Housley of Granby is the executive director of the Grand Futures Prevention Coalition. Mary’s passion for health began in the early 1980s with her pursuit of bachelors’ degree in dietetics from Michigan State University. In addition, she has earned certificates from the University of Wisconsin in the area of supervision and management, and leadership development. Recently, Mary received certification from OMNI Research and Training as a Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist. Mary has two children, Nick and Heidi, and two step daughters, Lorne and Frances. She is married to William Housley, police chief of the Granby Police Department.

I look forward to being a part of the discussions that will come from a meeting of these diverse minds and I look forward to the editorials that will come from that discussion.

If you are interested in volunteering on a future editorial board, send a letter describing your background, community involvement and what perspective you would bring to the table. E-mail aphillips@grandcountynews.com, send your letter to Autumn Phillips, Sky-Hi Daily News, P.O. Box 409, Granby, CO 80446 or bring it by the newspaper office at 424 E. Agate Ave. in Granby.