Barbara McIlvaine Smith facts for kids

Barbara McIlvaine Smith is an American politician. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She used to be a representative in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. She served the 156th district from 2007 to 2010.

Before that, she was part of the West Chester, Pennsylvania Borough Council. She also served as the Council's vice-president from 2004 to 2006. Barbara McIlvaine Smith is also a member of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma. This is a Native American tribe recognized by the government.

Early Life and Education

Barbara McIlvaine Smith has lived in Chester County her whole life. She finished high school at West Chester Henderson High School in 1968. Later, in 1995, she earned a degree in Elementary Education from West Chester University.

She worked as a 4th-grade teacher at Penn Wood Elementary. She also taught about the environment at the Brandywine Valley Association.

Family and Business

In 1980, Barbara and her husband, Robert, started their own business. It was called Brandywine Water Systems Inc. They ran the business together until Robert passed away in 2007. Their son now runs the water conditioning business.

Barbara McIlvaine Smith was married to Robert for 35 years. They had two grown children, a son and a daughter. They also have one granddaughter.

Serving on the West Chester Borough Council

Barbara McIlvaine Smith decided to get involved in local politics because of some issues. She did not agree with plans to raise property taxes by 36 percent in Chester County. She also opposed removing old, historic buildings to make the courthouse bigger.

Because of these concerns, she changed her political party. She switched from being a Republican to a Democrat. She then ran for a seat on the West Chester Borough Council. She was elected in November 2001.

When she officially started her role on January 2, 2002, something special happened. The Council became fully Democratic for the first time in 100 years. In 2004, she became the Council's vice-president.

Key Actions on the Council

During her time on the Council, Barbara McIlvaine Smith led two important committees. She chaired the Parks, Recreation & Environmental Protection Committee. She also led the Public Works Committee.

She helped start a plan to support Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell's Growing Greener II program. This program aimed to protect the environment and open spaces.

Pennsylvania House of Representatives Campaigns

In 2004, Barbara McIlvaine Smith first ran for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. She ran against the person already in office, Republican Elinor Z. Taylor. McIlvaine Smith did not win that election, getting 45 percent of the votes.

However, she decided to try again. She chose not to run for another term on the West Chester Borough Council in 2006. Instead, she focused on a rematch with Taylor that November.

The 2006 Election

In late 2005, Elinor Z. Taylor announced she would retire. Republicans in the West Chester area then chose Shannon Royer to run for Taylor's open seat. McIlvaine Smith had taken over Royer's spot on the Borough Council before.

On January 17, Barbara McIlvaine Smith officially announced her campaign. She did not have any opponents in the Democratic primary election. She received support from Progressive Majority. This group helps politicians who support progressive ideas at the state and local levels.

Election day results first showed that Royer had won by a very small number of votes, just 19. But after counting all the special ballots, McIlvaine Smith was declared the winner by 23 votes. This victory was very important. It gave Democrats control of the state house for the first time in 12 years. It also made history because she was the first Native American elected to the Pennsylvania legislature. Republicans asked for a hand recount of the votes. The recount finished on December 22, and McIlvaine Smith was officially confirmed as the winner.

Her Time in the House

As a state representative, she became the majority chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Special Education. In December 2007, Barbara McIlvaine Smith was one of a few lawmakers who refused a pay raise from the state. She said she would give her extra money to charities in her district.

In December 2007, Shannon Royer announced he would challenge McIlvaine Smith again. This was a rematch of their very close 2006 election. On November 4, Barbara McIlvaine Smith was re-elected. She won by more than 2,000 votes this time.

Decision Not to Seek Re-election

In November 2009, she announced she would not run for re-election in 2010. She explained that she was frustrated with how slowly reforms were happening after the pay raise controversy.

However, the Democratic candidate for the 2010 election had to withdraw for health reasons. So, Barbara McIlvaine Smith stepped in to run for re-election for the 156th District. She was narrowly defeated by Republican Dan Truitt.