Even 21 years, six city managers and four mayors later, Sue Johnson has no trouble remembering when she first filed to run for the Texarkana, Ark., Board of Directors.
"Steve (her husband) retired, in fact, in November of 1995," she said in a recent interview. "He retired on a Monday, I filed to run for the city council on Wednesday, and our son Stephen got married that Friday night. So that was the week in 1995 that I'll never forget."
It was the beginning of a political career that ended Dec. 19 with Johnson's final board meeting as Ward 6 director. She announced in July that she would not seek re-election for a sixth consecutive four-year term.
Johnson stepped down as the third-longest-serving elected official in city history, after former mayors Londell Williams and Bobby Ferguson, she said, citing research by City Clerk Heather Soyars.
She and former ward director Kathy Dunphy were the first women to serve on the board since the late 1960s, and she is among only seven women, including current mayor Ruth Penney-Bell and Ward 5 Director Barbara Minor, to serve in city government since 1956, she said.
Except in her initial, 1995 special election to serve a one-year term, she has always run for the Ward 6 seat unopposed.
"It's bittersweet," Johnson said about leaving the board. "I'll admit that after all this time. But it's also time. It's OK."
She said she looks forward to spending more time with Steve, a former Texarkana, Ark., Fire Department fire marshal; Stephen, the current TAFD fire marshal; her other son, Shane, a Domtar Paper Co. employee; her daughters-in-law; and her five grandchildren.
Doing so is an opportunity that seems even more precious since Johnson's 2009 breast cancer diagnosis. "I know that life is short," she said. She now is in remission, with no need for any medication or other treatment.
Penney-Bell commended Johnson's endurance. "I wish her well. I know that her Mondays will be less stressful. Anytime anyone sits on that board, they're sitting on a powder keg, so I know that one has to be strong and resolute. All I can say is I appreciate her years of service, and I know that it required sacrifice," she said.
City Manager Kenny Haskin also praised Johnson. "She's been very supportive of the efforts that we've tried to undertake here at the city, from a development standpoint. Her votes reflect her overall support and proactive approach to community development. She's been a true champion for Texarkana, and this city was lucky to have her for as long as we have," he said.
Her tenure encompasses a long list of issues the city has faced and goals it has accomplished, from police and firefighter pay parity, to bond elections to fund new roads, to building new fire stations, to the city's 2000 annexation of land. She has served on the Urban Transit District board since its inception.
A few core principles guided her along the way.
"I've tried to always serve everybody with respect and dignity. Not just the people from Ward 6, but all of Texarkana, Ark. I've always tried to listen to folks. Didn't mean that every vote was what everybody wanted, but you make that decision for your vote based on the information that's given to you, try to make it to the best of your ability," she said.
Still, Johnson wishes she could have done more.
"My biggest regret is not being able to encourage businesses to come to Texarkana, Ark., and have our tax base expand and increase," she said.
Johnson's ability to make long-term commitments is not restricted to her government service. She has worked for CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System twice as long, 42 years-since it was simply St. Michael Hospital at its original location downtown.
Now director of advocacy and community planning, she began working there as a registered nurse and managed the hospital's emergency department for 23 years. St. Michael is the only employer she's gotten a paycheck from, and she is the oldest tenured RN working there.
Johnson said she won't be retiring from the hospital soon but is happy to now have a little more time on her hands since leaving the board. Her advice to her successor, Ward 6 Director-elect Terri Peavy?
"To listen, and try to make your decision of how to vote based on what you think is best for Texarkana, Ark. You can't make everybody happy. It's hard to step out there and be different, vote differently."
Johnson summed up her political career by recalling what motivated it in the first place, way back during that busy week in 1995.
"It was a way to give something back to the city. I wanted to do something for community service. It wasn't about money; it was about trying to give back."