I knew them when

One of the pleasures of being a journalist is following the fates and fortunes of the elected officials you get to know.
My former 12 News colleague Todd Baer had covered the Texas statehouse, and would delight us with his insights about W.
Since we were in Brooklyn Park many of my co-workers knew Jesse Ventura back when he was Mayor, and had some tales to tell.

I met Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek when he was a fairly laid back guy from Maple Grove running for state representative. He would go on to a controversial career as the Minnesota Director of Public Safety, eventually resigning. Sometimes it's hard to match the person you met with the public figure they become.

I knew Amy Klobuchar a bit better. When she was Hennepin County District Attorney she was involved in many stories I covered. At times she felt like a peer, we owned some of the same suits and would sometimes have a moment for small talk. Now she is a United States Senator.

And here on the big stage of New York State, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy appears to be poised for a run for Governor.

When I worked at WLNY he was a frequent interview subject. Whenever there was a pause in the action I would ask, are you going to run? It kind of became a little joke, I would ask every time I saw him, and he never had an answer.

Covering politics can be both exciting and dull, depending on the day and the story. But it gets a little more interesting when you see someone you know step onto a larger stage.