Spotlight: How has working in the Senate been lately? 'You have no idea,' Shaughnessy says

Democratic Sen. Tim Shaughnessy of Louisville spent the first half of his 24-year legislative career in the majority.

So what have the last 12 years been like?

“You have no idea,” said Shaughnessy, who said he once considered Republican Senate President David Williams a friend. But now “I don’t really know him anymore.”

Shaughnessy decided last fall not to seek a seventh term in the Senate. And as he wraps up his last regular session, he explained how things changed in the upper chamber, what successes he’s most proud of and why he’s optimistic about the future:

Shaughnessy told Pure Politics he is endorsing Louisville lawyer Morgan McGarvey, who worked for Jack Conway in the attorney general’s office and got his start in politics as the driver for Ben Chandler during the 2003 governor’s race.

Pure Politics is airing interviews with each of the 12 lawmakers who are retiring at the end of 2012. (That doesn’t count Rep. Alecia Webb-Edgington who is not seeking re-election to the House because she is running for Congress).