Longtime Greeneville Alderman Ginny Kidwell has made her decisions by listening to her constituents and weighing the facts, she said as she recently recalled her 10 years in office.

"I've never regretted that philosophy," she said.

Kidwell chose not to run in the June 2 municipal election for a sixth two-year term on the Greeneville Board of Mayor and Aldermen.

Newly-elected aldermen Buddy Hawk and Keith Paxton will take the oath of office on Tuesday.

Kidwell first ran for alderman in 1999 when Alderman Allen Jones did not seek reelection.

She and Tim Teague handily defeated four other candidates for the two first-ward seats.

Kidwell was unopposed in her four subsequent bids for the alderman seat, she recalled.

Kidwell entered local politics with an extensive background in state government, working in Nashville for former State Sen. Anna Belle Clement O'Brien and former Gov. Ned McWherter.

She described herself as a "political creature," and said she has come to understand that local government is an extension of state government.

Although she is active in the Democratic Party, she has had bipartisan support in her races for alderman, a non-partisan seat, she recalled.

"I really love politics," Kidwell said. "If you understand it and have the right intentions, you can really make things happen."

When people started to approach Kidwell and her husband about her running for alderman, she said she already had considered serving on the Greeneville Regional Planning Commission.

She recalled feeling flattered and excited about the possibility of campaigning for alderman.

When she first joined the board, a big issue was the city manager form of government.

Door-to-door visits showed her that constituents were not in favor of such a change for Greeneville.

Another major issue at the time was the funding of the Greeneville High School expansion and renovation project and a change from project manager to general contractor.

Kidwell recalled that she ran her campaign as a fiscal conservative, then she had to vote for an 18-cent property-tax increase to fund the GHS project.

Other challenging issues, she recalled, were creating the Urban Growth Boundary, legal battles with the Tusculum municipality over sewer service, structural issues at the Roby Fitzgerald Adult Center and adjacent Haberstick Auditorium and economic development in a struggling economy.

Kidwell said Greeneville, Greene County, Tusculum, Baileyton and Mosheim each need to make a special effort to work together on economic development to benefit the entire community.

She recalled the controversial suspension of former city planner Lyn Ashburn, and said such challenges have made her stronger.

Kidwell remembered some times when she voted against issues that were approved by the board.

The most recent case was the annexation of residential properties along Whirlwind Road. She voted against the annexation, she said, because of the "roomful of people telling you that is not what they want," and what she said was the lack of a compelling safety-related reason for the annexation.

Kidwell also recalled her opposition to commercial development at the corner of East Andrew Johnson Highway and the Erwin Highway and a rezoning on Tusculum Boulevard. In both cases, she said, residents of the areas were opposed to the proposed plans.

Kidwell mentioned the board's work to revise the city government's employee handbook, which she said still needs some fine tuning.

She recommended a comprehensive review and update of the town's aging Charter.

She also recommended a study of the population in the town's first and second wards and a cost-saving change to hold the municipal elections at the same time as the county elections.

Kidwell recalled serving on the board with the three "very different" mayors.

Their differences, she explained, are based on the times in which they served and their personal priorities.

Longtime Mayor G. Thomas Love focused on people's needs and the town employees, Kidwell said.

Mayor Darrell Bryan oversaw a number of capital projects and maintenance and upgrades of town infrastructure, she said.

Current Mayor Laraine King, she said, is focused on balancing the budget.

Kidwell said she had to adjust to the different mayors, which took both communication and patience.

She said she believes in the importance of compromise, but that the board members don't always have to agree on every issue.

"If we all just sit up there and rubber stamp everything, we're not doing anybody a service," she said.

Kidwell views the alderman's role as a legislator, with the mayor being the local counterpart of the governor.

She compared government to business, stating that businesses make money, and government provides services for people.

"I think it's important for both of them to be efficient," she said.

The aldermen's role is to pass ordinances and the budget, she said, while the mayor oversees such action.

Kidwell spoke highly of longtime second-ward Aldermen W.T. Daniels and Sarah Webster.

"They seem like family to me," she said.

In her earlier years as alderman, Kidwell scheduled quarterly public forums, inviting her constituents to meet with her to discuss current issues.

"It was really a wonderful way to hear from people," she said.

The forum locations varied, including schools, the EastView Recreation Center and the T. Elmer Cox Historical and Genealogical Library.

As her constituents became more familiar with Kidwell, they were more comfortable speaking to her at any time, so she stopped having the public forums, she said.

As an alderman, Kidwell has served on the Roby Fitzgerald Adult Center Advisory Board and the board of directors of the Greeneville-Greene County Public Library.

She also was appointed by Mayor Bryan to a Traffic Safety Committee that has studied the issue of red-light cameras and also handles issues related to speed limits and traffic signs.

Kidwell noted that she also has been active on the board of directors for the Tennessee Rehabilitation Center.

During door-to-door visits, Kidwell said she learned that Greeneville has a large amount of poverty and a high number of at-risk children.

As a result, she became involved in the former Backyard Learning Center that served at-risk children at Tusculum View Elementary School.

To help serve at-risk children and their families and use her love for lifelong learning, Kidwell got involved in the Greeneville-Greene County Literacy Council, she said.

Through her involvement at Tusculum View, Kidwell spotted an unused piece of land behind the school.

When Mayor Love asked her if she had an idea for the town, Kidwell proposed a public park, now known as Dogwood Park.

Gov. Phil Bredesen officially dedicated the park last week in a ceremony at the amphitheater named for Kidwell.

Asked why she decided not to seek reelection, Kidwell said the gradual declining health and death of her mother last year changed her priorities. She explained that she is not as "happy-go-lucky" as she used to be.

Now, she wants to relax and "take it easy," although her idea of taking it easy might be different than what most people would think, she said.

She plans to continue working for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, being politically active, serving as president of the Greene County Democratic Women's Club and being active in the Literacy Council.

Kidwell said she possibly could run for public office again, but she has no immediate plans.

"I just want to enjoy being citizen Kidwell," she said. "But you never know."

She added, "I always like to keep my options open."

An article reviewing the service of Alderman Nancy McNeese Monger, who also is leaving the city board, will appear on Tuesday.