How your TOT dollars circulate in the local economy

I'm too excited to remember the timeline now, but awhile ago, Amador County raised the Transient Occupancy Tax from 6% to 10%. The Board of Supervisors gave some of that money to the Amador Council of Tourism, and Executive Director Maureen Funk invested that money in advertising in various media outlets including the San Francisco Chronicle and the Reno GazetteJournal.

Flashback to 1988: I grew up in Reno, and when I was studying high school journalism, I figured I would just go to UNR's Reynolds School of Journalism and be a rich and famous *snicker* writer for the Reno Gazette Journal. Well, life happened and I ended up moving to Sacramento when I was 19 (and to Amador County in 2004). I still worked in journalism of some sort - as a typesetter, marketing/public relations assistant, reporter, and technical writer. Now, I have a day job as an administrative assistant for the Assessor's office, but I still freelance - mostly covering the wine industry in Amador County.

Flash forward to a few months ago: My high school dream came true. I got an email from the special sections editor of the Reno Gazette Journal wanting to farm out an advertorial to me for the Amador Council of Tourism. It seems Funk recommended me; she had the choice of having the RGJ staff write a piece, or farming it out to a local writer. *chuckle*

Funk wanted the piece to have "street cred" so she recommended me - the *a-hem* local writer. Well...If Maureen wants street cred, street cred she will get. I used my maiden name in the byline - just in case any Reno readers remembered me, and I got a quote from one of my high school friends (Margaret Northam) who still lives in Reno but visits Amador County often (her brother writes for the Gold Country Times). I interviewed Tracey Berkner of Taste/Volcano Union Inn, and Jeanne Deaver from the Flower Farm/Deaver Vineyards. Maureen submitted photos from Amador photographer Larry Angier to go with the story.

The magazine came out today, and I got my big, fat check last week, some of which I spent on pretty things at the Clothes Mine, and the rest of the money I'm saving to take my husband out to dinner when he gets back home (he's a helicopter mechanic for the California Army National Guard; he's off doing ... something in camo that smells like JP8).

I cannot tell you how much this means to me. In all honesty, though, this whole dream-come-true thing goes to Maureen Funk for recommending me, and to the BOS for giving her the money to hire me. And to Tracy Lindenberger for having a store that I can easily blow my paycheck on, and to Griffin's Steakhouse because you know that's where we're going - they have awesome food. Oh wait...So does Hotel Sutter. Oh dear, I didn't realize I'd be caught in such a quandary. I love living in downtown Sutter Creek and I love being from Reno, Nev. They are both fabulous, vibrant communities.