Getting acquainted

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Many of my lunch hours last December were spent sitting in the parking lot of my last job in Redding, Calif., being grilled by The Columbian’s editors on what kind of reporter I was, what my strengths were and what experiences would make me fit to be Clark County’s newest reporter. For some reason, they decided they liked what I had to say, so here I am.

There is one thing that stuck out to me during that interview process, though. Each time, I was asked how I deal with difficult-to-deal-with people, meaning, of course, Clark County’s Board of County Councilors. That’s continued this week as I’ve met my fellow reporters. Maybe I’m just naïve or still too focused on trying to find the lunchroom here to worry about it, but am I really in for what I’ve read about on this blog and what I’ve been told? Come on. It can’t be all bad.

Tonight I have my first run-in with the board at its evening hearing. I guess we’ll see if my experience matches what I’ve been told.

I’m specifically paying attention to a discussion about approving $36,300 in annual membership dues for the Regional Transportation Council. At my last job as a council reporter in Northern California, I imagine that item would have taken, oh, five minutes to pass? But there’s already some background for this issue. Check out what Eric Florip wrote last December about Councilor David Madore suggesting cutting off county funding to the RTC.

Today, Madore took to Facebook (his favored means of communication, I’m told) and posted about the issue.

I’ll be live-tweeting the meeting, so you can follow me at @newsladykatie on Twitter.

In other business, what should I do to get to know my way around Clark County, readers? I’ve only been here since last Thursday and just figured out how to find my mailbox at my apartment complex, so there’s still a lot to learn.