About Us
The Bellringer is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news outlet covering the town of East Hampton, Connecticut. We seek to inform residents about everything that matters using ethically-gathered, evidence-based facts and expert analysis. Our work aims to hold the powerful to account and to amplify diverse voices to ensure a fully functioning democracy.
Started in 2026 in response to a controversial land deal that led to public outcry and a proliferation of online misinformation and confusion, The Bellringer was founded to encourage stronger transparency in policy-making and to empower the citizenry with accurate information. We are an independent news website that produces unbiased, nonpartisan original reporting that seeks to elevate the public discourse.
Our coverage includes local governance, land use and development, watershed management, education spending, tax structures and assessments, events and happenings, schools, and business. We also profile local businesses and individuals.
We are currently independently funded and operated, and in the process of obtaining a 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.
Our Team
David DesRoches is the founder of The Bellringer, where he works as a reporter and editor. His two-decade career includes work as a journalist, podcast producer, and adjunct journalism professor. His work has exposed fraud, environmental toxins in schools, the abuse of algorithms, systemic public education failures, and racial tensions between communities and police. He and his wife, Angela, moved to East Hampton in 2020, and they live near the lake with their dog, Bubbles.
He has twice been named New England’s “Reporter of the Year” (in 2013 and 2014) and was included in Connecticut Magazine’s “40 Under 40” list in 2015. He’s also a board member of several journalism and First Amendment-based nonprofits, including the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government, the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information, and the Weaver High School Journalism & Media Pathway Advisory Board. He was also a member of the Connecticut legislature’s AI Working Group. Read more about his work at www.daviddesroches.com
Kimberly Tynik is a contributing reporter for The Bellringer. A resident of East Hampton since 2023, Kimberly learned about the WPCA expansion project the way most of her neighbors did: through word of mouth, when the proposed facility hit close to home.
A regulatory and medication safety pharmacy specialist by trade, she brings a sharp eye for process, compliance, and accountability to her reporting. With young kids and a full-time career, running for town council isn’t in the cards right now, so she’s found another way to stay engaged with her community. This is her first foray into journalism.