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Having a family is great. But as the recent decision by former state Sen. Mark Hillman, R-Burlington, to not run for any elected position in 2010 shows, it can provide a (happy) speed bump for even the brightest and most ambitious of pols.

From the letter Hillman sent out to his friends and supporters: “Much has changed since I last ran in 2006 — my wife and I have ‘settled down’ in my hometown of Burlington and a six-month-old boy has drastically changed our priorities. Campaigning for statewide or federal office is very demanding and our party deserves candidates who are willing to make that campaign a top priority.