After spending 32 years serving the City of Carlsbad, Mayor Pro Tem Ann Kulchin is leaving her spot on the dais of the Carlsbad City Council.
First elected in 1980, Kulchin said a combination of factors led to her decision to say goodbye to the council.
"My husband (Dave Kulchin) is tired of being by himself every Tuesday and watching me on TV," said Kulchin, who turned 80 in July. She added that her desire to be closer to her family, as well as her belief that the city is in good hands with the current council.
"I have served the citizens of Carlsbad since April of 1980, and I have enjoyed the different assignments and committees I have been a part of," she said. "I think the time has come."
Kulchin worked as an elementary school teacher and substitute at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida and as a field representative for a county supervisor in the Northern California city of Saratoga.
In 1978, her husband landed a job in the area and the family moved to Carlsbad.
"I thought I was going to New Mexico," Kulchin says with a laugh.
Kulchin wrote a society column for the Carlsbad Journal, the Blade Citizen and other publications.
That, along with her husband's involvement in the community, led her to meet many of the city's residents in a short time. In 1980, some people from the Chamber, including then-Chamber President Glenn McComas, recruited her to run for the council.
She agreed, not knowing then that this would be the start of a 32-year term of service.
Kulchin raised $3,000 for her first campaign, which lead to some criticism. She had no paid staff, but grew her base by diligently walking precincts up to six hours a day and holding 47 receptions in private homes, relying on her supporters to spread the word about her to their neighbors.
"Sometimes I spoke before six people, and sometimes there were 23," Kulchin said. "It worked really well for me because I like to meet people one-on-one."
She still remembers waiting for election results during her first election, when the results were updated on a blackboard.
"This is an exciting place to be part of local government," Kulchin said. "I always liked the people I served with."
Asked to list some of her more memorable moments on the council, Kulchin talked about the opening of Dove Library, adding that she took part in the land selection committees and the committees that found the architect and the artists featured on the library site.
"It's hard to select individual (memorable moments)," Kulchin said. "Sometimes, things aren't as big as libraries, but the small things you do over the years."
She said though Carlsbad has grown significantly over the last 32 years, and attracted such businesses as LEGOLAND California, Life Technologies and ViaSat, it still retains a small-town feel, specially since 40 percent of it remains as open space thanks to a growth management plan the city adopted in 1986.
"When I started on the council, we had about 31,000 and now we have about 104,000 people," Kulchin said. "People would stop me on the street or come up to me at a restaurant and ask questions, that's still the same, except now there's more people."
Though she might be leaving the council, Kulchin said she's not going anywhere.
Some people have already started making suggestion as to what her next steps may be, though Kulchin said she's not making any decision until next year.
"I started out as a community activist," Kulchin said. "So maybe I will now be on the other side of the dais."
First elected in 1980, Kulchin said a combination of factors led to her decision to say goodbye to the council.
"My husband (Dave Kulchin) is tired of being by himself every Tuesday and watching me on TV," said Kulchin, who turned 80 in July. She added that her desire to be closer to her family, as well as her belief that the city is in good hands with the current council.
"I have served the citizens of Carlsbad since April of 1980, and I have enjoyed the different assignments and committees I have been a part of," she said. "I think the time has come."
Kulchin worked as an elementary school teacher and substitute at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida and as a field representative for a county supervisor in the Northern California city of Saratoga.
In 1978, her husband landed a job in the area and the family moved to Carlsbad.
"I thought I was going to New Mexico," Kulchin says with a laugh.
Kulchin wrote a society column for the Carlsbad Journal, the Blade Citizen and other publications.
That, along with her husband's involvement in the community, led her to meet many of the city's residents in a short time. In 1980, some people from the Chamber, including then-Chamber President Glenn McComas, recruited her to run for the council.
She agreed, not knowing then that this would be the start of a 32-year term of service.
Kulchin raised $3,000 for her first campaign, which lead to some criticism. She had no paid staff, but grew her base by diligently walking precincts up to six hours a day and holding 47 receptions in private homes, relying on her supporters to spread the word about her to their neighbors.
"Sometimes I spoke before six people, and sometimes there were 23," Kulchin said. "It worked really well for me because I like to meet people one-on-one."
She still remembers waiting for election results during her first election, when the results were updated on a blackboard.
"This is an exciting place to be part of local government," Kulchin said. "I always liked the people I served with."
Asked to list some of her more memorable moments on the council, Kulchin talked about the opening of Dove Library, adding that she took part in the land selection committees and the committees that found the architect and the artists featured on the library site.
"It's hard to select individual (memorable moments)," Kulchin said. "Sometimes, things aren't as big as libraries, but the small things you do over the years."
She said though Carlsbad has grown significantly over the last 32 years, and attracted such businesses as LEGOLAND California, Life Technologies and ViaSat, it still retains a small-town feel, specially since 40 percent of it remains as open space thanks to a growth management plan the city adopted in 1986.
"When I started on the council, we had about 31,000 and now we have about 104,000 people," Kulchin said. "People would stop me on the street or come up to me at a restaurant and ask questions, that's still the same, except now there's more people."
Though she might be leaving the council, Kulchin said she's not going anywhere.
Some people have already started making suggestion as to what her next steps may be, though Kulchin said she's not making any decision until next year.
"I started out as a community activist," Kulchin said. "So maybe I will now be on the other side of the dais."