Barbara Fike

Barbara Fike was born in Phoenix, Arizona. She earned a bachelor's degree from Northern Arizona University in 1975 and a graduate degree from Northern Arizona University in 1978. Her career experience includes working with the Arizona Department of Economic Security and as an educator. She has been affiliated with Dove of the Desert United Methodist Church, Arizona Walk to Emmaus, Arizona Faith Network, and Las Palomas del Norte Community Hand Bell Choir.[1]

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a second-generation native Arizonan, educated in Arizona schools, kindergarten through university, undergraduate and graduate levels. I have taught English and Social Science in Arizona schools - middle school, high school, and community college - for over 40 years. After surviving polio in my infancy, I am left with minor mobility issues and an enduring appreciation for vaccines and medical science! I grew up in what was northwest Phoenix at the time in a middle-class family of five (plus two grandparents). We were not rich, but comfortable on a teacher’s salary – my father, Pat Lebs, was a band director in the Phoenix Union High School District. I have been married to a Phoenix area architect for over 30 years. We have an adult son and daughter who live in Oregon and Phoenix respectively, both of whom were educated in the Deer Valley District and at NAU. A Labrador Retriever who loves to swim in our pool and a sneaky but lovable black cat round out our family. We are very active in our church, Dove of the Desert UMC, especially in music and missions. Las Palomas del Norte Handbell Choir is our extra-curricular labor of love, but we also enjoy travel and spending time at a cabin near Flagstaff. I currently teach one or two English 101/102 classes each semester at Glendale Community College North, since retiring from full-time teaching in the Deer Valley District. I love Arizona - her land and her people.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

My passion is education. As an historian, I understand that Public K-12 education is vital to the health and success of a democracy. Our founding fathers understood this as evidenced by land grants for education. The client of schools is not as much the students or parents as it is society as a whole. We all benefit from our children being educated to the fullest of their capabilities. Curriculum should be developed by professional educators, not dictated by a few parents or micromanaged by politicians. I adamantly oppose vouchers, which divert money to unregulated "parent-choice" programs, while undermining the kind of free and balanced education needed for citizens of a democracy. Freedom dies in ignorance.I believe in choice. I decided to run for office because I was tired of there being no choice on ballots due to so many candidates running unopposed. To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, I believe that all persons are created equal, and endowed by their creator with rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. I do not believe that Creator gives anyone the right to judge, much less restrict, another’s choices. No one has the right to limit the choices of another when it comes to decisions about expression of identity, sexuality, spirituality, bodily autonomy, or gender identity. When choices harm no one, then they are no one's business.Democracy is fragile and must be safeguarded. We need to preserve the past, but also protect the future. Since the people are sovereign in a democracy, it is critical that they take the power they wield seriously. A democracy requires everyone to be on board, to participate in and trust the election process. But if we abdicate our responsibility because it’s just easier to let the autocrat win, we will lose all choice in the matter. Because autocrats do what is best for themselves and their cronies, not what’s best for either the country or its citizens. They are poised to bring about the failure of the democracy experiment started 250 years ago if we the people don’t intervene.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Education – all of society wins when children have equal access to education.

Water management - we live in the desert, and should act accordingly. We also need to recognize global warming is real.

Reproductive healthcare - my daughter shouldn't have fewer rights than I did at her age.

Affordable housing - people need to be able to live in the communities they work in.

LGBTQIA+ rights - no one should tell anyone else whom they can love or where they can go.

Voting rights - in our technological age, voting should be easier, not harder.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

An elected official should be responsive to the constituents, not the donors. They should be diligent in informing themselves on the issues, and listen to others with an open mind. They should respect and be courteous to other members of the body. They should be willing to work with each other while keeping the best interests of Arizonans uppermost.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am an excellent problem solver and can usually see a path to a solution that others miss. That may be partly due to my childhood. I had polio in infancy and the doctors told my mother I would never walk as a result. But of course, children are resilient and I managed to find a way to get from point A to point B on two feet. While I may not walk using the same muscles others do, I can walk. My whole life I dealt with obstacles to doing things the way everyone else did. I learned early to be a problem solver in non-traditional ways. I also had to learn how to scan the area around me to be alert for potential obstacles to my path so I could quickly devise a workaround because otherwise, I fell often! That ability serves me well in seeing what is coming before others do, both literally and figuratively.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The assassination of JFK. I was ten.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked opening a new women's clothing store. I only had the job a few weeks because after they opened the needed fewer people and laid off all of us who were single. This was in 1976 - the Great Recession.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Whatever the last song was that I sang in the church choir or that we played in handbells is the song that is probably stuck in my head. I am also cursed with an endless playlist of lyrics in my head that is easily triggered by a random word in a conversation!

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I have often struggled with people judging me based on my exterior - female and handicapped - and not looking past that to see what I had to offer. I do enjoy it when they realize I am more than meets the eye!

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

While prior experience helps get a legislator quickly up to speed, the idea of a democratic republic is for regular people to serve and then move back into their careers - not make a career of serving. The writers of the US Constitution believed the legislature should be made up of citizens who served two years and then went back to their lives, ensuring that all ideas were heard and all people represented, due to a regular turnover in legislators. When someone makes politics their career, they become politicians - not legislators.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Of course. Collaboration and cooperation are the only way to get past the stalemates we've seen in recent years where legislators seem to only vote the way the party boss wants them to, not from their own reasoned, researched, and discussed opinions. My favorite story of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor from when she was in the legislature was that when legislators were at an impasse, she would invite everyone to her house for margaritas.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Sandra Day O'Connor, because she held her own opinions strongly, but listened to others and treated them with respect.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

no

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

AzNOW, Moms Demand Action, Better Ballot Arizona so far.

What committees interest you?

Education, Housing, water

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

I am running clean elections because I believe in total transparency in election financing, and the government should be the same.