After a town hall meeting in Altoona on Thursday that felt like a swan song for a lame duck, state Rep. John McGinnis was asked to reflect on his six-year tenure, which ends Nov. 30.

Some people may think he failed, some will grant him a measure of success, said McGinnis, who considers himself virtually alone among colleagues in focusing always on the good of the state as a whole, rather than the good of his district.

Either way, at this point, it’s impossible to make a final judgment on his House record, according to McGinnis, recalling the lesson of a great figure skater from the early 1970s.

Janet Lynn won a bronze medal at the 1972 Olympics in Japan, despite falling, and a silver at the world championships the following year, despite falling twice, earning with her spunk her legendary status in Japan, according to McGinnis.

Years after those competitions, on a visit to Japan, Lynn by chance encountered a woman who told her that Lynn had saved her life, McGinnis said.

The woman explained that she had been on the verge of suicide the day of the world championships but drew back upon witnessing Lynn getting back up and continuing to perform, McGinnis said.

“We don’t know how the good that we do can affect (things),” the 64-year-old representative said. “We kind of have to have faith that it will have good consequences.”

Throughout his time in the House, McGinnis emphasized pension reform, warning that the funding shortfall will have catastrophic consequences in 10 or 15 years unless the state takes drastic action.

Clearly, he failed to persuade the state to take such drastic action, but he helped prevent the problem from getting worse, he said.

Only three residents attended the town hall — a contrast to the healthy numbers McGinnis usually draws — but one of them was Fred Khoury, who credits McGinnis for his pension reform persistence.

Khoury has children and grandchildren and doesn’t want them “saddled” with the problem of paying off enormous legacy obligations, he said.

He hopes McGinnis’ likely successor Lou Schmitt pays attention to that issue, he said.

Someone asked McGinnis recently whether he feels it was worth it to have served three terms — he didn’t run in this year’s primary to fulfill a promise he made not to try for four.

He gave up $50,000 a year in salary after taking leave from his job as an associate professor of finance at Penn State Altoona, he said.

It was enough of a loss that he’s not fully confident about his financial situation as he contemplates retirement, he said.

He made an even more cutting sacrifice being away from his beloved Borzoi dogs, he said.

It wasn’t just the time spent in Harrisburg but time away in the evenings, attending events, he said.

“That’s my family,” he said. “I don’t have kids or a wife.”

But he ran for office because he thought state government was badly run and figured he could contribute to making it better, he said.

“I did my duty,” he said. “In terms of running and serving for six years, I don’t regret that.”

Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.