Capital Tonight host Susan Arbetter came to Spectrum Networks in 2019 ready to make politics and policy understandable (and maybe even fun) to people who don’t think they’re interested in them. Part of her job, she says, is to determine if the very smart people working in and around Albany are using their smarts for the greater good.

Susan is a veteran political journalist with a long list of accolades, including her induction into the Women’s Press Club of New York Hall of Fame. The stories that stick out to her are some of the most debated issues in recent New York history, and ones that have had a great impact on upstate New Yorkers. Those include the history of the PCB clean up of the Hudson River; the impact of hydrofracking from the perspective of families who live among the wells; and a deep dive into the many faces of poverty in Central New York.

Covering upstate New York gives Susan perspective into what makes upstate unique. From the food scene in Rochester and the haunted history of Hotel Henry in Buffalo, to the State Fair in Syracuse (specifically the butter sculpture) and the beauty of the state Capitol – it all helps form the state’s identity as one with great food, beautiful scenery, and nice people. As for upstate’s best kept secret? Susan says, “We have an abundance of water. Think about it.”