Successful first shot at politics

QUINCY – Most people say things like, “No way” or “You’re crazy,” if you suggest a political career for them.

Not Gina Saldaña of Quincy. She wants to be a politician. She even has a political science degree from St. Martin’s University.

And now she has some practical experience.

The Quincy City Council appointed her, from among seven candidates, to the Council in May. From among three choices, the voters let her go in the primary election in August.

Saldaña is local. She was born and raised in Quincy and graduated from Quincy High School. Her father, Jose Saldaña, was on the Council for eight years, starting in 2005. Like most kids, she hardly noticed.

“In high school, it didn’t dawn on me, the importance,” she said. “I didn’t know what was going on.”

Even when she went with her father to observe Council meetings, Saldaña didn’t really pay attention.

Then something changed as she started college. Suddenly Saldaña wanted to be a political figure. Her dreams include a climb to the United States Senate. She might consider the presidency after that.

The administrative assistant to the superintendent of the Royal School District needed a place to launch her dream. The open Council seat in May in Quincy was perfect.

Saldaña’s name went to the Council with six others. They were all interviewed at the same Council meeting for about 10 minutes each. If she looked nervous, that was probably because really wanted the post.

Saldaña knew that the Council members knew her father had been on the Council. She could only wonder if that was good or bad. She didn’t mention it. Nobody did.

Saldaña felt fine about her answers until a question about community involvement was posed. She hadn’t had a lot. Then she aced the question with a cool politician’s conclusion to her answer.

“Being on the city council is the ultimate in community involvement,” she said.

After the interviews, the Council went into executive session to make its decision. The candidates had to wait about 10 minutes, but it seemed a lot longer to Saldaña.

“I didn’t think I was going to get it,” she said. “There was one woman who was really involved.”

When she was chosen, Saldaña was thinking, “Oh my gosh. Are you guys sure?” Good thing she didn’t say it.

“I was so excited, no other thoughts,” she said.

Then came time to serve. In short order Saldaña found herself on the south side of the current big issue in town, the Quincy Activity Center.

The director of that center wants the city to spend nearly $3,000 to affix the name of the center to a sign that already exists. She’s against that move, saying it’s too much cost.

“We’re not going to keep the building. It’s temporary,” Saldaña said.

Saldaña noted the city is committed to building a recreation-activities center in the near future. Most of the recreation spending should go there, she believes.

But Saldaña laments that the issue has caused a souring of her relationship with the QAC director. She hopes to mend that fence. She will likely agree to what the director wants but at a lower cost.

“The activities center doesn’t really have a sign that identifies it,” she said.

Saldaña learned with this issue that most people like the status quo. She believes the Council, flush with taxes from the city’s high-tech boom, might have voted for the proposal as is. But it has asked the QAC director to seek alternate estimates.

The other big issue for Saldaña was getting elected to the seat she held, and she learned quickly how iffy politics can be.

It did not happen. In three months she went from Council member to lame duck. She’ll be off the Council at the end of the year.

Saldaña does not believe the QAC issue played a role in the election she lost. Name recognition was the killer. The woman who came in first, Sonia Padron, is very well known. The man who finished second was better known than Saldaña.

“I’m going to have to get myself more involved in the community,” she said.

Saldaña hasn’t given up her dream and says she won’t. She will attend Council meetings so that she can remain informed. She will run again at the next opportunity. By that time, she hopes she’ll be better known.

“I’ve enjoyed it a lot,” she said.

Even the sign issue.