"I needed to know, for my own self, if the community wanted me back. The voting numbers were important."
The feedback she had received so far, however, was that most people were pleased she was back.
"I'd hope that the people who have a problem with my personal situation can put that aside and know that I'm capable of helping Kaikohe."
Mrs van Gaalen said she believed the past year had given her greater inner strength and resolve; qualities she would to put to use for the town.
"I considered myself a strong person anyway and I think I'm stronger now. And I'm definitely not ever going back [to jail]," she said.
The experience had also taught her not to take her freedom for granted.
"People don't know how lucky they are, just to be able to freely take a walk up the cycle trail for example. You really appreciate freedom when you've been in a cage."
Mrs van Gaalen said the town beautification she began as a community board member and Kaikohe Business Association employee had come almost to a standstill since she stood down.
Ensuring the town was "clean and pretty" boosted pride as well as encouraging tourists to stop and businesses to set up shop. The bottom end of town had been transformed in recent years and new businesses had moved in, but the top end remained drab.
She also wanted to see more culture in town. Kaikohe was the heart of Ngapuhi but there wasn't a single carving on the main street, she said.
Mrs van Gaalen had been asked to be a poster girl for cannabis law reform but turned it down. She would rather use her time to get new recycling bins or public gardens for Kaikohe, she said.
The keen gardener also hopes to use her restored freedom to study horticulture at NorthTec.