Introduction

Welcome to Straw Poll, a Poughkeepsie Journal blog on Dutchess County government and regional politics in which I’ll offer some insights in passing about what’s going on with your elected officials, the programs they manage, your money they spend and the politics that surrounds it all.

Reporters constantly face an uphill battle in parsing the often banal inner workings of government in search of interesting stories. The challenge is to convey how these public institutions affect the lives of ordinary residents. The blog format lends itself to insider tidbits for political junkies – and I’ll type those up as I get them – but I also hope to give readers relevant information on politics and government and maybe have a little fun in the process.

A little about myself: I’ve been reporting on Dutchess County government for only about six months, but I have several years of municipal government reporting experience, much of it while working for a small newspaper in Wisconsin. I spent my first year at the Poughkeepsie Journal reporting on the growing communities of southern Dutchess before moving to the county beat.

I’ll be looking for feedback from you to help refine the direction of Straw Poll. Send me your questions and concerns, and let me know whenever you hear any juicy political gossip.