Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein is the public face of a very public transit system. She got her start as a sports reporter and made a stop at the community relations office of Arlington County Public Schools before moving to Metro’s communications office in 2001.
What’s your least favorite part of your job?
Getting paged by reporters at all times of day and night — and on weekends and holidays. It’s way too common for me to get paged at hours like 3:30 a.m., when TV stations are preparing for the morning news. I’ve been paged on the golf course and I’ve talked to reporters by candlelight when I was sitting at my house without electricity.
What’s the hardest part of your job?
The hardest thing is when there’s a fatality and I’m calling the general manager to tell him about it. That is very difficult. People’s first reaction when they see me walking down the hall or into the office is to say “Uh-oh.” I don’t know why!
What do people say to you when you tell them you work for Metro?
I don’t make a habit of telling people. Every now and then, somebody will recognize me at the dry cleaners or at the grocery store. So whenever I come back to the dry cleaners they’ll tell me they’ve seen me on the news or they’ll ask me a question about what was in the news. It’s a little embarrassing when other people are in line.
Why’d you take an early job as a sports reporter?
I grew up in Baltimore County and I am a die-hard Orioles fan. But I’ve learned to like the National League, and I’m very thrilled they’re in town as well. Every excuse I can get to go to a game, I do. I get teased at work because most of my vacations involve stopping at a ballpark somewhere, either in this country or outside of it. – Taryn Luntz
