(Photo courtesy of the Sioux Center News) Senator Dave Mulder took his oath of office four years ago and finished his term in Des Moines this spring. In his four years in office, he aimed for cooperation across party lines. [Click to enlarge]

When Dave Mulder walked out of the Senate on the last day of Iowa's legislative session this year, people rose to their feet.

The standing ovation for the Republican senator honored him for a single term in the office.

Mulder, who represented people in Plymouth, Sioux and Lyon counties, made a surprise announcement in March that he would not run for office again. As he retires, though, he hopes he leaves a legacy in the Statehouse in Des Moines.

A legacy of working together for Iowa.

Elected in 2004 by Iowa's second district, Mulder previously said he would run for a second term and no more -- being a staunch believer in term limits in legislature.

But in March, the 69-year-old cited health, a desire to spend time with family and frustration with party politics as factors in his decision to retire.

To Mulder, party politics were a roadblock to getting things done in the capital.

This year, with Democrats holding the majority in both the House and Senate, party ties were as strong as ever on both sides. Democrats could push legislation through with hardly any Republican support -- and Republicans resisted giving any.

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But Mulder was of a different camp.

He was an advocate for working together, even when it didn't earn points for the party.

When it comes to bills proposed by the majority party, Mulder said, the minority party has two philosophies.

"They can either let it stay bad, saying, 'We want to beat them in the fall,' or we can work to make it the best bill it can be," he said. "I worked with every bill to make it better."

The smoking ban bill, he pointed out, was an example of that. When it came out of the House, it was loaded with exemptions. Mulder decided to work with Democrats on the bill in exchange for them taking away the exemptions. They pulled some of the exemptions. In the end, though, casinos and a few other places were still exempt, so Mulder voted against the bill. Still, he said, if no Republicans had worked with Democrats, all the exemptions would have remained.

Looking back over his term, Mulder claims the Senate made inroads working across party lines.

Although he's leaving now, he's not afraid that legacy will end.

During his term, 14 new Senators joined the body: 10 Democrats and four Republicans.

"Other than one person, they all had the attitude of 'We're going to work together,'" Mulder said. "And I had a number of people promise me they are going to keep that going."

As Senator, Mulder served on the Senate Education, Agriculture, Human Resource, and Economic Growth Committees.

"I'm really pleased about everything that's happened in education," he said. "There have been a lot of good things in these four years."

His "happiest" bill, he said, was a bill granting grandparents visitation rights when parents get a divorce.

"Now a mom or dad can't stop grandparents from sending cards or having a visit," he said.

Retirement looks like it will be good to Mulder.

In June, he and wife, Dot, are traveling with two friends to Cincinnati to watch the Cardinals and Red Sox play. In July, Mulder and his son will be teeing off for their 10th annual father-son golf tournament at Myrtle Beach. In August, he'll be taking his grandson to a dude ranch in Colorado.

"I am so anxious just to do some stuff," he said, then laughed. "And I never have liked parades very well."

He will miss working in Des Moines with the Senate.

"I've had four great years. If I thought my health could take it, I'd be there again," he said.

The Senate, he said, is like a family.

"I know every one of the 49 other members," he said.

Mulder said he's going to miss not just the Senators, but also the reporters on press row and the doormen he knew by name.

"In school or in a business, nobody is more important than another. You cannot do your job unless others do theirs," he said. "That's the way it is down there."

Before being elected to the Senate, Mulder taught at Northwestern College in Orange City.

"The work I've had has always been kind of a servant job," Mulder said, reflecting on his years as a teacher. "Here (as a Senator) you are a servant of the people."

Despite frustration with party antics, when Mulder speaks about working in and with the government, he does not sound jaded.

"I think politicians should be idealistic," he said. "Realistic, yes, but also keep their ideals."