66 CityAndStateNY.com
Behind the byline
August 16, 2021
Get to know the editorial staff that keeps New York politicos in the know.
By Isabel Beebe
Holly Pretsky is deputy managing editor of City & State. A native of Colorado, she started at City & State in February 2020 and currently lives in Brooklyn. Holly has reported from Martha’s Vineyard and Miami. She loves reading novels, doing improv, M&M’s with popcorn and over-thetop emoji use.
Editor-in-Chief Ralph Ortega joined City & State in October 2020. Born and raised in New York City, Ralph has lived all over Manhattan, from StuyTown to Hell’s Kitchen. Our EIC has worked for the Daily News, the Star-Ledger in Newark, the Asbury Park Press and the Daily Mail. Ralph is a proud Trekkie.
Managing Editor Eric Holmberg has been with City & State since December 2016. While getting his master’s in journalism at the University of Missouri. Eric won a national magazine writing award for his story on the history of mules in Missouri. Eric also interned for Reuters in Brussels where he reported on the EU.
Art director Andrew Horton has been with City & State since 2018. Andrew has worked for the Village Voice, Billboard, Business Week and many other publications. Hailing from Australia, Andrew now lives in New Jersey surrounded by plants, music and children. Andrew is going to miss making crazy Cuomo covers.
Senior Reporter Jeff Coltin has been with City & State for seven years since he cold-called an editor in 2014. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Jeff is a hard-hitting reporter, but he is not so hard-hitting on the court and has been beaten in basketball by Andrew Yang and in volleyball by Bill de Blasio.
Senior State Politics Reporter Zach Williams has been at City & State since 2017. Zach has lived all over the world. Specifically, Zach has lived in: Weaverville/Berkeley, California; Yantai/Xi’an/Changchun/Beijing, China; Quetzaltenango, Guatemala; Auckland, New Zealand; Monrovia, Liberia; Brooklyn; and Albany.
Deputy State Politics Reporter Rebecca C. Lewis has been with City & State for almost four years. She attended Fordham University and worked at WFUV. She grew up in Nassau County and is there to stay. A proud nerd, Rebecca snuck into the “Doctor Who” seventh season premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre.
Thank you to City & State for providing comprehensive coverage of New York state government for 15 years. Good journalism is needed to keep our elected officials accountable and provide transparency to the public. I look forward to continuing to read this wellrespected paper and wish City & State much success in the future. – Assembly Member Michael Durso
RALPH ORTEGA; CELESTE SLOMAN; JAMES DINNEEN; SUBMITTED
I
n order to report on New York’s complex political landscape, City & State needs a dynamic, hardworking and whipsmart staff. Luckily, we have one. The City & State editorial staff are a welltraveled, multitalented group whose hobbies make them both interesting individuals and fantastic reporters. Read on to learn more about the people who cover New York politics for our website and weekly magazine.
