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Ex-TV reporter 'can put the makeup away' |
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By The Hill Staff
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Posted: 04/05/05 12:00 AM [ET] |
Scott MacFarlane, 28, a newcomer to Washington and Capitol Hill, is the new press secretary for Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.).
Formerly a TV reporter whose political coverage included the congresswoman, he says, “I can put the makeup away and feel more masculine.” |
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Pedro Sa Da Bandeira |
Left to right: Scott MacFarlane, Caleb Overdorff, Vanessa Poston, Brian Watson and Adam Stachecki.
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Born in Highland, N.Y., MacFarlane graduated from Syracuse University. After graduation, he worked in Kalamazoo, Mich., producing newscasts at the CBS affiliate. From there, he worked in Lansing, where he covered Miller, who was secretary of state. He also covered the congresswoman in Detroit.
Over the years, MacFarlane says, he has wanted to be involved in public service. “Local television news doesn’t quite achieve that goal the way working for the United States Congress does,” he said. By the time he left Michigan, MacFarlane was a syndicated radio host with the Michigan Talk Radio Network.
Asked if he always portrayed Miller in a good light in his reporting, he replied, “We try not to write positives and negatives. We write the news. I was not a commentator or an opinion journalist. I was a fact-based news reporter and talk-show host — fair and balanced.”
Caleb Overdorff, 23, will now serve as a legislative assistant for Miller. Starting out as the congresswoman’s intern in the summer of 2003, he quickly rose up the ranks by becoming her scheduler in the fall of that year. “Apparently I didn’t mess up her life too much, so she kept letting me do that,” he said.
In the course of his promotion, Overdorff moved about 15 feet, from one side of the room to the other. Unlike in many offices, the scheduler does not sit out front. “I have a window now, so I’m excited about that. It looks out onto the Cannon courtyard. It isn’t much, but at least it’s a window.”
Overdorff says he has always had an interest in government and politics in general. Two days after his graduation from Hillsdale College, in Hillsdale, Mich., he moved to Washington because one of his friends knew someone in Miller’s office. “That’s how I got the internship,” he says.
Another factoid about Overdorff: Between college semesters, he drove 18-wheeler trucks transporting road construction equipment and became a member of the Teamsters. As a result, he covers labor issues for Miller.
The new scheduler for Miller is Adam Stachecki, 24, who moves into the position after being a legislative correspondent. “I’m excited,” he says. “I mean, I have established a good relationship with the boss. It’s a good opportunity to meet people.”
Stachecki came to the office in April 2003 as an intern through a four-week program through his school, Hope College in Holland, Mich. What are his future goals? “I don’t know,” he says. “I plan to go back to Michigan eventually.”
Brian Watson, 22, becomes legislative correspondent for Miller, after serving as an intern and a staff assistant since October 2003. “Yeah, I like the office,” he says, “and any promotion within is always nice.” As for his interest in politics, Watson says he thinks it stems from his high school advanced-placement history teacher who was really into politics. “So political history was interesting to me, so I figured, why not?”
Vanessa Poston, 23, will be the new staff assistant and systems administrator. Previously, she was an office intern. A native of Jackson, Mich., she graduated from the University of South Carolina in 2004. |
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