Tell us about 2018, please!

It was my very first try at covering a public meeting.

We won’t go into exact dates here, but it’s probably enough to say that there were no cellphones.

Telephones, yes, but clearly not some teeny things that you might carry around in your pocket.

One theme of our story, however, makes an opposite sort of point — that despite all the new gimmicks and technology, some things don’t change, no matter the era.

Back to my debut: The night editor of the Topeka Capital-Journal pointed me to a seat for one final briefing.

Turned out that was the correct terminology, too, because he was brief.

“Get there early so you’ll be up front,” he rasped. “Make sure your voice is loud enough so that you aren’t ignored, and ask the first question.”

I WAS young and dumb, so I halted his move back to the night desk (and that half-pint of Old Crow in the top drawer) by uttering an unexpected reply.

“Why does the first question matter?” I said.

“Why?” he shouted back. “Two reasons, kid: You want to be remembered in case you might come across these jackasses again, and you want to make sure that the best question from the whole thing comes from this newspaper.”

I knew better than to ask how we could be certain my question would be the best.

If it wasn’t, then theoretically I wasn’t good enough to work there.

So how did it go?

Well, I’m still working.

Oh, and I wrote a story after that press conference that started a rockslide, and when all the dust had cleared about a month later, the county sheriff decided not to run for re-election.

My question had been something about whether or not he knew that his deputies were putting up campaign posters, in uniform, on the taxpayers’ time.

That old night editor had been right, of course — both about the first question and about becoming memorable.

Years later, I began wearing a Panama hat as kind of a trademark. Important people might not recall my name right away, but they knew I was the character in the hat.

NOW THAT I think about it, the hat may be back in action over the next few days.

And I definitely have a question ready to fire.

The events this time will be a pair of town hall meetings involving some of our state legislators.

Today’s funfest in Post Falls is scheduled to include rabble-rousing Rep. Heather Scott, R-Blanchard, among others.

Then Monday night, it’s a cast of moderate Republicans from Coeur d’Alene gathering at North Idaho College. The lineup includes Sen. Mary Souza and Reps. Luke Malek and Paul Amador.

At both meetings, the lawmakers will probably rehash – one more time – the thrills of the 2017 legislative session.

Since the main feature of that whole affair was Gov. Butch Otter’s late-game veto spree, most bright spots have been covered and re-covered at previous town hall events.

That’s why I’m going to insist on one question: “What do you expect to accomplish in 2018 — and how will you manage to keep Butch from vetoing whatever you do?”

OK, so that’s two questions.

We’ll have enough time.

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Steve Cameron is a special assignment reporter for The Press. Email: [email protected]