For new Harris County Pct. 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones, the Jan. 19 State of the City address, sponsored by the Katy Area Chamber of Commerce, proved a good place to say hello to some of her new constituents.

Briones, a Democrat, defeated incumbent Commissioner R. Jack Cagle, a Republican, in last November’s election. She making the rounds and getting up to speed with her new job. Towards that end, she said the biggest thing she’s learning in her new role is what a commissioner can do independently versus what she must do working with others.

In her case, “others” includes both her fellow Harris County commissioners, as well as her Katy-area counterparts, Fort Bend Pct. 1 Commissioner Vincent Morales and Waller County Pct. 4 Commissioner Justin Beckendorff. Both were at the luncheon.

“It’s been wonderful to meet them,” Briones said. “I’m looking forward to working across the aisle and among the cities.”

Learning new things is nothing new for Briones. She said she was a teacher before going into law. She said she used to tell her students that, if she could, she would be a student forever.

Briones graduated from Yale Law School and practiced law at Vinson & Elkins before joining the Laura & John Arnold Foundation as its general counsel. Later, she became judge of the Harris County Civil Court at Law No. 4 before her election as commissioner last year.

One can see how her lawyer training will help her learn quickly. Briones said when she was at Vinson & Elkins, would track her time carefully, billing clients for every six minutes—in some cases, every 10 minutes. She described herself as a Microsoft Outlook person, using the tool to help her keep track of things.

“I’m extremely Type A and I have three young kids,” Briones said. “You have to be able to fire on all cylinders.”

She took office Jan. 1 and attended her first commissioners court meeting. At that meeting, she said, commissioners approved a work safety contractor plan and a climate action plan.

“It was very, very productive,” Briones said. “I love the whole gamut of work that we’re doing.”

Looking forward, Briones said public safety and infrastructure were priorities. She said she’s already met with Mayor Dusty Thiele and city officials to learn about projects in the city.

“Count on a very ongoing partnership across the board,” Briones said, adding that she wanted to do infrastructure projects in a way that she described as “future-ready.” By this, she said, she means the infrastructure is ready for the next hurricane while being respectful of the environment.

“We’re thinking strategically,” Briones said. “At the end of the day, we’re here to improve the quality of life and I look forward to doing that every day.”

Briones said she was thankful for Pct. 4 residents giving her the chance to be a commissioner.

“I’m so grateful to be here today,” Briones said.