MEET THE STAFF

Behind the byline

Get to know the editorial staff that keeps New York politicos in the know.

By Isabel Beebe

WIn order to report on New York’s complex political landscape, City & State needs a dynamic, hardworking and whip-smart 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.

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.

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. 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.

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. 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.

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.

Senior Reporter Sydney Kashiwagi came to City & State in March 2021 from the Staten Island Advance where she was covering City Hall. An American University grad, Sydney grew up in Honolulu and now lives in Park Slope. In her free time, Sydney enjoys going to the beach, trying new restaurants and biking.

Editorial Assistant Jasmine Sheena came to City & State six months ago from a political campaign in San Francisco. She grew up between Seattle and the Bay Area and went to the University of California, Berkeley. She currently lives in Hell’s Kitchen. She’s a veteran cross country runner and loves thrillers.

Graphic designer Aaron Aniton came to City & State in 2016 from a freelance job at Hearst Magazines. Aaron grew up on Long Island and attended the Art Institute of New York City. He now lives in Chelsea. An avid skateboarder, usually at the Pier 62 skatepark, he volunteers with The Skatepark Project. A staff reporter and the voice behind the Excelsior newsletter, Amanda Luz Henning Santiago has been at City & State for a little over two years. A New York native, Amanda grew up in Bay Ridge and now lives in Astoria with her very needy cat Ashi. Amanda spends most of her free time trying out new recipes.

Associate Editor Patricia Battle, has been at City & State for three months. She comes to City & State from The Garnette Report. Patricia graduated from Kent State University. Born in Manhattan then raised in Tampa, Florida, Patricia now lives in the Bronx where you will almost always see her with headphones on.

Photo researcher Michelle Steinhauser, started at City & State in April 2021. Michelle grew up in both Queens and Massapequa. Four years ago she started her own photography business. She has also worked for Vogue and McGraw Hill. Michelle has a BA in art and photography from CUNY Hunter College. Annie McDonough is City & State’s tech & policy reporter. She came to City & State three years ago from Colgate University. Annie grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and currently resides in Manhattan. Annie grew up playing volleyball and basketball (she has height advantage) and now is a very shameless theater lover.

Editor Greg Salisbury was brought on as a part of City & State Pennsylvania and has been with City & State since 2016. Greg graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and currently lives in Philadelphia. He has spent time in Texas, Westchester, New York City, North Carolina, Grand Canary and Miami. Associate Editor Kay Dervishi joined City & State as an intern in 2018. Kay grew up in the Bronx and Westchester County. She went to the University of Richmond, where she studied journalism and political science while reporting on Virginia politics. Kay loves painting, drawing and reading speculative fiction.

Senior visual designer Alex Law has been at City & State for five years. A born-and-raised New Yorker, Alex grew up in Chinatown and Alphabet City, and lives in Chinatown to this day. A graduate of CUNY Hunter College, Alex is a self-taught multidisciplinary designer who also loves drawing, photography, and running.

I am an avid reader of City & State with its excellent reporting of goings on in and concerning the state government. It’s an important resource to me.

– Assembly Member Chris Burdick