Missoula senator returns to work after her surgery
ByIR State Bureau
Sen. Carolyn Squires, D-Missoula, has returned to the Capitol after an operation for colon cancer.
Squires returned to the Senate March 19 after missing part of this month because of her surgery and recovery.
“I’m glad to be back, and it’s nice to be with my friends of more than 20 years,” said Squires, who served in the House from 1987-2001 and in the Senate since 2003.
The 68-year-old senator said she returned because “I just felt good enough to come back.”
Said Squires: “The doctor said: ‘You’re a phone call away. Take it easy. Don’t lift.’ ”
When she feels tired, Squires said she finds a room where she can lie down to rest for awhile.
While recuperating, Squires said she closely followed the Legislature on television and through a computer. After watching debates, she would tell a Senate clerk by telephone how she wanted to vote on bills and have the clerk cast them.
Her final votes were handled by proxy, as required under Senate rules.
"I think that it’s going to all work out, with the changes that we have agreed to. It’s not as much (spending for some programs) as I would’ve hoped, but apparently it’s more than other people wanted. As usual, we are trying to find the middle.” 
"[On term limits:] You empower the executive, you empower the lobbyists and that's not good for the system because then we lose what the citizen Legislature brings.” 