Tina Hallquist cites all the typical reasons when asked why she chose not to run again for her seat on the County Legislature - work, family and free time.
When pressed for one, though, Hallquist admits that none took precedent over the others.
"That has been an extraordinarily difficult question to answer," Hallquist said of why she's leaving Mayville. "People ask me, but I can't come up with a simple explanation. There are a lot of factors"
For the time being, it seems, Hallquist will be absent from local government - though she is not ruling out a return to politics in the future.
A VOLUNTEER
A Jamestown resident and registered member of the Conservative Party, Hallquist arrived in Mayville after beating District 13's Democratic incumbent in 2005.
"I wanted to get involved in my community," Hallquist said of her decision to run. "I've always been kind of like a professional volunteer. I have always volunteered in multiple organizations."
So used to volunteering, Hallquist joked about how she didn't know the job of county legislator was a paid position when she first ran - something she said that then Republican Election Commissioner Terry Niebel found humorous when he told her.
"It came from my desire to volunteer and I loved spending time with the people in the community," Hallquist said of the job. "It seemed like a natural fit and it obviously worked out very well. I enjoyed it immensely."
That first election also provided Hallquist with an experience which has remained her favorite memory from throughout the past four years.
"I was told by a lady that if I didn't give up running my campaign, that she would vote with me - and she did," Hallquist said. "She was 100 years old ... I picked her up and took her to vote. That is something that I will take to my grave. That was the greatest moment."
A LAWMAKER
Legislatively, Tina Hallquist has enjoyed speaking for the little guy.
Throughout her two terms, Hallquist said she supported resolutions which saved taxpayers money or in other ways worked to benefit them.
In fact, Hallquist said she considered every vote in relation to how it would affect her family - even such seemingly banal businesses as reappointing individuals to committees.
Specifically, Hallquist mentioned the switch from paper to electronic notifications at the county level, which has saved thousands of dollars each year in postage.
"The health insurance issue was bittersweet for me," Hallquist said. "It was a struggle, but it was bittersweet. I didn't want to take it away from the legislators, however I just couldn't abide by the fact that only a few part-time employees received it and not the rest of them. I didn't think that was fair. As a person who has gone many years without medical insurance, I understand that pain."
In terms of acclimating to Mayville, Hallquist said there wasn't much of a learning curve for the logistics and protocol, crediting the county staff for their knowledge and help. Gaining fellow legislators' trust, however, is a different story. Some of it's instantaneous, Hallquist said, while for others, it needs to be earned.
For the incoming legislators taking office in January, Hallquist had only a few pieces of advice - consider all votes as though they affect you personally and set guidelines.
"What I think is the most important thing is something I actually learned from older legislators who had been in Mayville a long time," Hallquist said. "They would tell me, 'Make your own guidelines and stick by them.' For me, I picked a couple of things at the beginning and said, 'If I ever get to this point, I'm done,' - and I guess I've reached that point."
As she leaves office, Hallquist said she hopes others become involved in local government.
"I guess, in the beginning, when I ran for office, my opinion was, 'don't complain, do something," Hallquist said. "Unfortunately, right now, we don't have enough people doing things. We have more people complaining.
"Try to find something positive, get involved or volunteer," Hallquist continued. "I think we need to get rid of the stereotype that you need to have a high income or be a lawyer to be involved in politics. One of the things that I really enjoyed is that most of the people I've talked to comment that I'm just one of them. We need people to represent the people that actually live here. I'm not from a rich city, I don't have a whole bunch of money, but I know what it's like to be both dirt poor and fairly-well off. I've been self-employed, I've worked for businesses and I do feel I represent most of the people who live here."
Naming Margaret Thatcher as an inspiration, Hallquist quoted the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, agreeing that "Any woman who understands the problems of running a home will be nearer to understanding the problems of running a country."
"She was an amazing woman," Hallquist said. "If we ran our government like a business or like we should run our homes, we would be better off."
