ABOUT ME
Hi, I'm Barbara
WHERE I COME FROM
I am a second generation Arizonan, and have lived here my whole life (except for 6 weeks I lived in Redlands, California!) My mother was born in/grew up in Clarkdale and Prescott; although my father (Pat Lebs) was a transplant from Nebraska, he went to college at ASU (then ASTC) and stayed as a high school band director in Mesa, Peoria, and mostly the Phoenix Union district, spanning 40 years. I was born in Phoenix 70+ years ago, and grew up near 23rd Avenue and Camelback. I graduated from Alhambra High School and went to NAU for a Bachelor's degree in Social Science with a minor in Anthropological Linguistics, and later a Master's in Adult Education with dual emphasis in Social Science and English/ESL.
MY CAREER
I didn't jump into teaching full time right away; I worked for a bit with DES Food Stamps and at a church for community development, and part time teaching ESL at Arizona Western College in Yuma, South Mountain Community College, Glendale Community College, and American Graduate School for International Management. After I obtained my secondary teaching certificate, I taught English for 2 years at the high school in Parker, Arizona before coming back to the valley to begin a 31 year stint in the Deer Valley USD, where I taught middle school English for a while before transitioning to Social Studies and then moving to Sandra Day O'Connor High school teaching American History, Government, and Economics. Since I retired in 2013, I have gone back to teaching English part time at GCC and GCC North.
MY FAMILY
My husband is originally from North Dakota, but he's been in Arizona now longer than he was there, so he considers himself nearly native. He is an architect in a Phoenix firm. My son and daughter both went through Deer Valley schools K-12 and also went to NAU. My daughter is living and working in Phoenix; my son is in Oregon. We have a Labrador retriever and a black cat. My husband and I are active at Dove of the Desert United Methodist Church, especially in music.
Why I'm Running
Since I was old enough to vote, I always have, considering it both a privilege and duty. Over those years, I've registered as a Republican, an Independent, and a Democrat. I've always believed that citizens have an obligation to consider the issues and candidates carefully, and make an informed choice.
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But the last few years I've noticed a lack of choice on my ballot. Many important offices were going by default to candidates who ran unopposed. So, I decided I had to do something to change that.
At first, I was running just to create a choice on the ballot, albeit a long shot in this red-leaning district. But I also believe the people of LD 28 deserve to have a choice of someone who will represent everyone to the best of her ability and not simply represent a political agenda; someone who looks at all the issues, ideas, and evidence and sees how they are all interconnected - how that in order to attract business and grow Arizona's economy we need affordable housing (with a well-managed water supply) and a well-educated, healthy workforce for those businesses.
MISSION STATEMENT
Choices and Consequences
I love Arizona. I don't love the divisiveness we've experienced in the past few years. We need to be working together to preserve the history and beauty of our great state while protecting the future for the next generations. That means we need to stop "playing politics" as though it's all a game. We need, instead, to "prioritize policies" that manage our resources wisely so that we have a future. There are better places for the tax dollars we collect than proving election integrity - both the money spent by the senate for the audit and the subsequent lawsuits. More children could be assured a quality education if vouchers and the associated funds were more carefully managed. We can attract more businesses to Arizona, and strengthen the ones that are here, with policies that provide a stable workforce - education, healthcare, housing. We need to follow logic, science, and evidence in making decisions about water and land usage, instead of whose voices are loudest or donations biggest. We need to insure a free press and the truthfulness of information that is disseminated. Ultimately, we need to choose whether we will bury our heads in the sand and trust that the rich and powerful who take over will be benevolent dictators, or we need to stand up for and protect the fragile idea called democracy. I choose the latter.