>> THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT REALLY ARE INDEPENDENTS AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR INDIVIDUALS AND PEOPLE THAT REPRESENT WHAT THEY CARE MOST ABOUT RIGHT NOW.

>> THIS WAS FUN!

[ Laughter ] TO BE INTERRUPTED.

[ Laughter ] TO BE FORCED TO ANSWER A QUESTION THAT'S DIFFERENT.

NOW THAT IT'S OVER, I ENJOYED IT.

[ Laughter ] >> Mary: WE WERE BOTH A LOT YOUNGER THERE.

>> WE WERE.

>> Mary: AS YOU WERE IN A VERY CLOSE RACE.

LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW CLOSE DID IT END UP BEING YOUR FIRST TIME, DO YOU REMEMBER?

>> YOU KNOW, I DON'T REMEMBER THE EXACT TOTAL, BUT IT WAS WITHIN 3%, ABOUT 3% OF THE VOTE, WHICH IS REALLY CLOSE.

>> Mary: ABSOLUTELY.

AND HOW ABOUT YOUR LAST ELECTION, I'M GUESSING IT WAS NOT AS CLOSE.

>> NO, IT WAS NOT AS CLOSE.

AND AS THE TRENDS HAVE GONE, I HAD MORE THAN 60% OF THE VOTE.

>> Mary: SO WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SUBURBS, IN THE WESTERN SUBURBS IN THIS TIME THAT YOU HAVE SERVED IN THAT TREND?

>> I THINK ACROSS THE STATE, ACROSS THE COUNTRY THERE'S BEEN KIND OF A SHIFT OF PARTY ALLEGIANCES OR WHO YOU THINK BEST REPRESENTS YOU, AND, OF COURSE, NONE OF US CAN PERFECTLY REPRESENT ANYBODY OTHER THAN OURSELVES.

>> Mary: DID YOU SEE IT COMING?

DID YOU FEEL LIKE IT WAS GETTING BLUER EVERY CYCLE FOR YOU?

>> WELL, AND THAT'S TRUE, I DID.

AND CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, NATIONAL POLITICS INFLUENCED IT.

AND THEN THERE WAS A SENSE, LIKE, YOU KNOW WHAT, YOU FIT.

AND WE MOVED UP.

I MOVED UP.

AND MANY OF MY COLLEAGUES MOVED UP IN THE VOTE TOTALS THAT WE WERE GETTING.

>> Mary: SO YOU NOT ONLY WON, AND WON OVER AND OVER, YOU GOT TO CHAIR AND YOU HAD A BILL, A BIG EDUCATION BILL PASS EARLIER TODAY.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BILL.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT IT?

WHAT STANDS OUT?

>> OH, THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY GOOD THINGS.

AND SOME OF THE SMALLEST PROVISIONS THAT YOU DON'T EVEN TALK ABOUT, LIKE REDUCING PAPERWORK, IS GOING TO HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON OUR SCHOOLS.

BUT I THINK SOME OF THE MAJOR THINGS ARE ATTENTION TO MENTAL HEALTH FOR OUR STUDENTS TODAY, ESPECIALLY CELL PHONE USE, AND THEN ALSO WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PROHIBITING BANNING BOOKS IN LIBRARIES ACROSS THE STATE.

>> Mary: HOW WAS THE TOTAL VOTE?

WAS IT BIPARTISAN?

OR NOT?

>> HE FINAL VOTE WAS NOT BIPARTISAN BUT I THINK THERE WAS SOME GOOD BIPARTISAN PROVISIONS IN THE BILL AND I THINK THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS IN THE BILL THAT EVERYBODY ON THE FLOOR CAN BE PROUD OF.

>> Mary: IS THAT ANOTHER TREND, HOW MUCH MORE PARTISAN THIS PLACE HAS GOTTEN ND FINAL VOTES AND THAT?

HAVE YOU SEEN THAT CHANGE?

>> I THINK PROBABLY THE FINAL VOTES AS BEING A TREND IS SOMETHING THAT IS EMERGING, AND SOME OF THAT IS JUST GETTING READY FOR THE ELECTION AND YOU WANT TO BE CLEAR AND ARTICULATE WHAT YOUR PARTY STANDS FOR VERSUS THE OVER -- THE OTHER PARTY.

SO THAT CLASH OF IDEAS, I THINK, IS A POSITIVE THING.

AND SOMETIMES IT TRANSLATES INTO VOTE TOTALS.

AND IT'S JUST -- THAT'S THE WAY IT GOES.

>> Mary: WHAT OTHER CHANGES HAVE YOU NOTICED?

OBVIOUSLY YOU'RE NOW PART OF A CAUCUS WITH MANY MORE WOMEN AND MUCH MORE DIVERSITY.

HOW MUCH HAS THAT CHANGED THE PLACE HERE?

>> I THINK IT REALLY HAS CHANGED IT.

I THINK THERE'S MORE OF AWARENESS OF THAT WORK/LIFE BALANCE AND MORE RESPECT FOR THE FACT THAT PEOPLE HAVE CHILDREN THAT ARE GOING TO GET UP, YOU HAVE TO TAKE THEM TO SCHOOL EVEN THOUGH YOU WORKED UNTIL MIDNIGHT THE NIGHT BEFORE.

SO I THINK THERE'S JUST MORE OF AN AWARENESS AND TAKING CARE OF FOLKS AND ACKNOWLEDGING THAT EVERYBODY HAS LIVES.

>> Mary: SO WHAT LIFE ARE YOU GOING TO LIVE NOW?

WHAT ARE YOU DOING, WHY ARE YOU RETIRING?

YEAH.

>> ALL RIGHT.

SO I AM RETIRING RETIRING.

>> Mary: YOU REALLY ARE.

YOU'RE REALLY RETIRING.

>> I HAVE SEVEN GRANDKIDS, AND I JUST CAN'T WAIT.

NEXT WEEK ON WEDNESDAY, I'M GOING TO GO A PRESCHOOL GRADUATION, THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS DURING SESSION YOU CAN'T DO AND I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO THEM.

>> Mary: WHAT ARE YOU THE MOST PROUD OF?

AS YOU LOOK BACK AT YOUR ENTIRE CAREER, WHAT ARE THE MILESTONES?

>> THE MOST THING I'M PROUD OF, AGAIN, IT'S NOT ME DOING IT, BUT BEING PART OF IT, WE'RE TALKING A LOT MORE ABOUT EARLY CHILDHOOD AND THE IMPORTANCE OF CHILD CARE, HAVING RELIABLE, SAFE, NURTURING CHILD CARE ACROSS THE STATE.

SO NOT ONLY IS IT IMPORTANT TO WORKFORCE, IT IS JUST CRUCIAL FOR HE DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR KIDS WITH WORKING MOTHERS, WORKING PARENTS, WE NEED TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO THAT SEGMENT OF OUR POPULATION AND I THINK THAT'S A TREND THAT WE'VE IMPROVED ON AND I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.

I FEEL LIKE THE PART THAT I PLAYED IN IT IS MY MOST SIGNIFICANT ROLE.

>> Mary: THIS SESSION, HOUSE AND SENATE MEMBERS WERE HOPING FOR MORE ON THAT.

THEY WERE HOPING TO SPEND BIG MONEY AND REALLY HELP CHILD CARE PROVIDERS.

BECAUSE THERE'S A HUGE SHORTAGE IN THE STATE.

>> RIGHT.

>> Mary: DO YOU THINK THAT WILL BE A DISAPPOINTMENT THIS SESSION, IN PARTICULAR?

>> YOU KNOW, CONSIDERING HOW FAR WE'VE OME AND WHAT WE'VE INVESTED IN THAT SEGMENT OF OUR ECONOMY AND OUR EDUCATION SYSTEM, I THINK WE'VE COME A LONG WAY, BUT IT WAS THE LAST BUDGET BILL THAT WE MADE MOST OF OUR STEPS FORWARD AND THIS WAS A SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET BILL AND THERE'S ONLY SO MUCH WE CAN DO.

>> Mary: OKAY.

LAST QUESTION.

WHAT'S YOUR ADVICE FOR YOUR SUCCESSOR?

>> SO, WELL, YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT I DID, I DID GO DOOR TO DOOR, I KNOW EVERY STREET IN MY DISTRICT, I KNOW THE NEIGHBORHOODS, I KNOW THE FOLKS.

AND YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE TELLING YOU, WHAT THEY'RE VALUING, AND THEN YOU TAKE IT TO THE LOOR, AND YOU ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT'S WHY YOU'RE THERE IS TO REPRESENT THEIR VOICE AND WHAT IT IS THAT THEY'RE HOPING TO SEE.

IT JUST KEEPS YOU GOING.

>> Mary: ARE YOU GOING TO MISS IT, THOUGH?

>> YOU KNOW, AS WE SIT HERE TODAY, IT'S LIKE, YES, I'LL MISS IT.

IT'S BEEN THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME AND I'M SO HONORED THAT I WAS ABLE TO DO IT.