What began as a civic forum has blossomed into a powerful, polarizing blog, capable of shifting local sentiment while garnering 20,000 hits per month – The North Haven Way.

Many love it. Many loathe it. Chances are you’ve at least heard of it. For hundreds of people, checking the website, which examines issues, mainly political, from municipal to national levels, is a daily exercise.

Begun two years ago, The North Haven Way is authored by Republican blogger and former town resident Chris Peterson. “It started as a place where people could come and talk about issues facing the town and state,” he said. “Now it’s gotten beyond anything I could have imagined or dreamed of.”

Since March 3, 2009, The North Haven Way has been visited 225,159 times, an average of 422 times per day. “The site really picked up over the last 12 months, since last summer,” Peterson said. “That’s when town elections were really heating up. There was something to talk about every single day.”

“The blog came on at the right time,” he added. “It’s just basically exploded. I’ve heard that even more and more high school students know about the site.”

An early discourse with a local parent alerted Peterson to his blog’s potential. “I received this email from a parent six months after the blog started,” he said. “She had serious concerns about the school system and wanted questions answered. My site answered her questions, and she wrote me a long email about what the site means to her, how she checks it every day, and tells her friends to do the same. That’s when I knew it could be more than a discussion board, and could serve the purposes of town residents.”

Once an aspiring blogger, Peterson is now recognized in public. “That’s been the most interesting experience,” he said. “I can’t go somewhere without somebody coming up to me and knowing who I am because of the blog.”

“The response, for the majority, has been very positive,” Peterson added. “They like something I wrote, or a question I asked about town. Very seldom does somebody come up and say I’m a jerk.”

Peterson said his blogging motivation also was to provide an online, Republican voice in North Haven. In his first-ever post, May 12, 2008, Peterson writes, “I am a registered Republican and I will be the first to admit this is a right wing themed blog. One of the main reasons I started this blog was to respond to the northhaveninfo.org blog which is heavily liberal.”

To this day, Peterson’s site has stuck to his conservative charge, understandably putting him at odds with certain viewers. Further, others have criticized his sometimes scornful writing style, especially when he targets individuals. Peterson actually attributes part of The North Haven Way’s success to those two distinct aspects of his blogging voice.

“People want a personality on the blog,” he said. “That’s why I bring an opinionated approach. And that’s more fun. I’d rather be that than an information-spilling robot.”

“The question I get asked most often is ‘Why are you so mean to people on your blog?’” Peterson added. “If you’re somebody who puts yourself in the public eye, you shouldn’t be offended when someone comes back and criticizes your actions. I will criticize people who make public comments at town meetings. That’s my principle – if they’re so willing to criticize someone else, they should be able to be criticized themselves.”

Peterson is no stranger to censure himself. Posters on The North Haven Way have labeled him everything from a bully to a narcissist. And those are the vulgarity-free comments he allows.

“I think with a blog, you need to have an open mind, thick skin, and show commitment,” he said. “If you don’t have those three qualities, you’re not going to be successful, and you won’t last long.”

Commitment, as in sifting through 50 to 100 comments registered on his blog each day, selecting, he said, approximately half for publication, only those on-point and free of obscenities. Some of Peterson’s posts have alone attracted over 100 worthwhile responses.

Comments run the gamut, from conservative to centrist to liberal, from agreeing with Peterson to questioning his sanity. To Peterson, employed by the Quinnipiac University admissions office, such partisan divide is welcome. As posts accumulate in response to one another and his own blog entries, political debate and participation in town is spurred to unquestionably high levels.

“Voter turnout has definitely increased since the blog became more active,” Peterson said. “Attendance at board meetings has increased. I’ve been told all the other sites in the area, North Haven TV’s and Chris Kirby’s North Haven News, have all gone up as well.”

Peterson’s site has even inspired others to begin their own local blogs, including “North Haven Parent,” a regular commenter on The North Haven Way who briefly produced her own page, and Democrat Walt Spader, who seems more serious with his site, North Haven Democrat.

“I think it’s great,” Peterson said of Spader’s blog. “I know Walt Spader. I think he’s a great guy, and somebody who is very involved locally and state-wise with the Democratic Party. Walter has thick skin, an open mind, and a high commitment level. I love that there is now a second viewpoint in town.”

Undeniably, Peterson’s political stances have altered local thought. “In last year’s town elections, every single candidate I knocked lost,” he said. “Was that because of me directly? I’m not sure, but I certainly played a part.”

“When I come out against a case, action, or person, results follow,” Peterson added. “I’ve been told by both political parties in town that I’m the most hated, feared and loved political person in town. That’s a very interesting thing.”

“I received calls from every single Republican gubernatorial and senatorial campaign, asking for more exposure on my blog,” Peterson said. “I’m happy to do it if it coincides with the town and my own interests.”

“It’s very flattering and humbling,” he added. “Anybody who does this thing definitely has a political impact.”

During his successful campaign for first selectman, Republican Mike Freda replied to Peterson’s and his readers’ concerns on The North Haven Way. Local Republican State Representative candidate David Yaccarino has also answered questions on Peterson’s blog.

“For any politician in town, it would definitely be intelligent to embrace this blog,” Peterson said. “Even Democrats whom I may not agree with – that would go over very well with the people who follow the blog.”

“I like how this has become the blog, the source in town,” he added. “Interestingly, I criticized David Yaccarino’s campaign website heavily. I made specific suggestions. Within a couple of days, every change I suggested was made.”

Peterson is looking to expand his sway beyond governmental and similar realms. “I’m posting more notices about non-profit and charity opportunities,” he said. “If I can serve a higher purpose than politics, all the better.”

Producing a product capable of attracting and affecting such an audience is time-consuming. “It’s a part-time job, basically” he said.

Peterson said he begins his day by surfing other local news sites. Articles that catch his eye are copied and pasted onto The North Haven Way. Then he goes through comments left for his blog. At night he puts together his blog posts. Advertisements on his blog generate Peterson a small amount of revenue, but nothing significant, he said.

Months ago, Peterson broke news that he would be moving to Hamden, causing some to question his blog’s future. “I’m right on the other side of the boarder now,” he said. “I don’t think it’s changed the way I’m commenting on things. I’m no longer saying how the present administration is personally affecting me. I just comment on town.”

The North Haven Way will continue to evolve, Peterson said. He has already explored live-blogging and podcasts, and is planning to offer taped talk shows before election day. Publishers approached Peterson a few months ago about writing a book on his experiences, something he said he is not seriously considering just yet.

Above all else, Peterson said, he will continue blogging with the hope of stoking the fires of local debate. “This is a diverse town,” he said. “We don’t have just one political party dominating another. There are a lot of people involved.”

“North Haven is perfect for the blog,” he continued. “Because we have a lot of Republicans and Democrats, people always want to talk about the issues on both sides.”

Politics have never, and will never, be Peterson’s blog’s only focus. Instead, he said, he will continue to examine any issues regarding town. “The most important thing is, with growth, to make sure that this remains a North Haven blog,” he said. “This is not going to be regional. It’s always going to be about North Haven.”

“The limits are endless,” Peterson added of his blog. “It’s already grown 1,000 percent more than I ever thought it could.”