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STEUBENVILLE -- During the past 12 years former 5th Ward Councilman Willie Paul figures he's attended around 550 City Council meetings, give or take.
The idea that his Tuesdays are now his own doesn't bother him a bit.
"Twelve years, that's a long time," Paul said. "It's like going from first grade to your senior year. I felt like I was in first grade when I got there."
Paul, Kimberly Hahn and Asantewa Anyabwile all exited council in December: Paul and Hahn, former councilwoman at large, left because they were prohibited by term limits from running again while Anyabwile, who represented the 1st Ward for the past four years, lost her bid for re-election for a second term.
Hahn, who served in the at-large seat for eight years, admits she already misses it, calling her service "one of the greatest opportunities of my life."
"It's really tugging at my heart," she said. "You do feel the weight of responsibility (being lifted), but I really do care about the people of the city and will miss being able to serve them more directly. Somebody said to me, 'No one will be stopping you at Lowe's or Kroger and to say they're having a problem with their neighbor or they need (something done),' but I loved that. I loved that people thought I was approachable and would come to me to talk about their problems. I'll continue to try and help people if I can."
Hahn said she'll be able to focus more on her volunteer work with various community organizations, "and I'll sure continue to volunteer and contribute to the overall community."
She also hopes to be more active with the Hilltop Association.
"I think the hardest thing about walking away is I feel like we did a lot of good things, but we didn't get to finish everything," Hahn said. "We didn't get to follow through all of the projects we started. I'm sure that's always the case -- I'm sure there were things that two years ago the people who left council felt they couldn't finish. There are things now -- the renovations to the City Building, the application for Appalachian Community Grant funds that we're a part of -- people may not associate me with those things, but that's OK. You do your best and allow the new council to pick up the baton and run with it. I will pray very hard for them and will certainly be willing to meet with anybody who wants to pick my brain on anything."
Paul said not being able to see some projects through to the finish line bothers him as well, including the renovations to the old City Building which houses Municipal Court, community services and an evidence storage area.
"I think we have a great city," Paul said. "I know we have some problems, but it's a tight-knit community. It was a great opportunity to serve for the past 12 years, and I enjoyed it very much."
Both said one of council's greatest accomplishments during their tenure was the creation of the city's ambulance service.
"I think it was much needed," Paul said. "It took a lot of the burden off other ambulance services in the community -- Wintersville and some others -- that were always coming here" to handle overflow.
Being able to earmark funds for repair of the Beatty Park Bridge and keeping the Belleview Pool open scored high on their list as well.
"And I do think getting the HUD grant is important to the North End, that it's a critical piece of the future," Hahn said. "If we're able to get Appalachian Grant funding and begin the downtown streetscape process, that will really give added momentum to what's happening with our downtown. People are choosing to move here -- I meet people every week who are coming here and want to buy homes and settle here and raise their families ... I think they're looking for people of faith and integrity, they're looking for great schools. For a small town we have so much."
Spreading that message is what she says she'll miss most.
"I would have run again in a heartbeat if it wasn't for term limits," Hahn said. "Then it would have been up to the people if I was returned to office, but I would have welcomed the opportunity to run again. But I think the new people on council will do well."
Anyabwile said it was just beginning to sink in that her Tuesdays will be her own now, though she doesn't begrudge spending the past four years on council and plans to continue serving the people of Steubenville.
"I was just sitting here and said, 'Wow ... I don't have to look at any last-minute e-mails and I don't have to do this anymore'," she said Tuesday.
"Now that I'm not on council I have more time to focus on other duties I'm responsible for -- my nonprofit and being director of Labelle Neighbors Who Care, and I can focus on my Historic Black Colleges and Universities tour earlier, because I have the time to do it."
Each year Anyabwile helps organize tours of HBCU schools for students interested in checking out the opportunities they offer.
"I'll have time to focus on projects like that, but my interest still lies with seeing progress in the city and I will be there advocating, but from the other side of the swinging doors," she said.
"I'm glad that I was able to be of service for the time that I was there, and I look forward to being of service now that I'm a private citizen on the other side (of things). I look forward to being at council, but now I'll be in the gallery.
She said it is bittersweet.
"I wish I could have accomplished more during my time on council," she said. "I will, however, continue to do what I can for the progress of this community in whatever capacity I can."
Paul, meanwhile, said his advice to the new council members is to listen to their constituents but remember their job is to "do what's best for the entire city."
"It's not do it for one group, it's do it for the entire city," Paul said. "I always tried to do that. Even though I fought for the 5th Ward, in the end I did what I thought was best for the city of Steubenville because our citizens deserve that.
"You have to thank the citizens," he said. "I'm so grateful and humbled they gave me the opportunity to represent them."