Barbara McIlvaine Smith is an American politician. A
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, she is a former member of the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...
, representing the
156th district from 2007 to 2010. She previously served on the
West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neighb ...
Borough Council and was the Council's vice-president from 2004 to 2006. She is an enrolled member of the federally recognized
Sac and Fox Nation
The Sac and Fox Nation (Fox language, ''Mesquakie'' language: ''Othâkîwaki / Thakiwaki'' or ''Sa ki wa ki'') is the largest of three federally recognized tribes, federally recognized tribes of Sauk people, Sauk and Meskwaki, Meskwaki (Fox) Ame ...
of
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
.
Early life and career
McIlvaine Smith is a lifelong resident of
Chester County Chester County may refer to:
* Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
* Chester County, South Carolina, United States
* Chester County, Tennessee, United States
* Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...
, graduating from
West Chester Henderson High School
B. Reed Henderson High School is located partially in the borough of West Chester and partially in West Goshen Township in Pennsylvania. B. Reed Henderson is one of the three high schools (Henderson, East, and Rustin) in the West Chester Area S ...
in 1968 and from
West Chester University
West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the Middle ...
in 1995 with a degree in Elementary Education.
She taught 4th grade at
Penn Wood Elementary, and environmental education at the Brandywine Valley Association.
She and her husband, Robert, incorporated their business, Brandywine Water Systems Inc., in 1980. Together they owned and operated the business until his death in 2007. Their son now owns and operates the water conditioning business.
McIlvaine Smith was married to Robert for 35 years. They have two grown children, a son and a daughter, and one granddaughter.
West Chester Borough Council
Opposed to
Chester County Chester County may refer to:
* Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
* Chester County, South Carolina, United States
* Chester County, Tennessee, United States
* Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...
commissioners' attempts to raise property taxes by 36% percent and remove historic buildings to expand the courthouse, McIlvaine Smith changed her party affiliation from Republican to Democrat to run for a seat on the
West Chester Borough Council, and was elected in November 2001. When she was sworn in on January 2, 2002, the Council became a full Democratic body for the first time in 100 years. She became the council's vice-president in 2004. During her tenure on the council, McIlvaine Smith chaired the Parks, Recreation & Environmental Protection Committee and the Public Works Committee and initiated a resolution to support Pennsylvania Governor
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author. He served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, as chair of the national Democratic Party, and as the 96th Mayor of Philade ...
's Growing Greener II plan.
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
In
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
, McIlvaine Smith ran for the
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts.
It ...
against incumbent
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Elinor Z. Taylor. McIlvaine Smith lost with 45 percent of the vote, but she decided to forgo running for another term on the West Chester Borough Council when her term expired in 2006 in order to seek a rematch with Taylor that November.
Taylor announced in late 2005 that she would retire after the current term, and West Chester-area Republicans endorsed former West Chester Borough Councilman Shannon Royer, whom McIlvaine Smith had succeeded as Fifth Ward representative on Borough Council,
to replace Taylor. McIlvaine Smith formally announced on January 17 that she was
running
Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...
for Taylor's now open seat, and was not opposed in the Democratic primary. She was endorsed by
Progressive Majority, a national
Political Action Committee that supports
progressive politicians at the state and local levels. Unofficial returns on election day initially showed that Royer had won by 19 votes, however, after the counting of provisional and absentee ballots, McIlvaine Smith was declared the winner by 23 votes, giving Democrats control of the state house for the first time in 12 years and making history as the first Native American ever elected to the legislature. Pennsylvania Republicans demanded a hand recount, which ended on December 22 with Mcilivaine Smith being officially certified as the winner.
She is also the majority chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Special Education. In December 2007, McIlvaine Smith was one of a few lawmakers who refused to accept a pay raise from the state, saying that she would donate her additional money to charities in her district
In December 2007, Shannon Royer announced his intention to challenge McIlvaine Smith for her House seat in a rematch of their closely contested 2006 campaign. On November 4, McIlvaine Smith was re-elected by more than 2,000 votes.
In November 2009, she announced that she would not run for re-election in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, saying that she was frustrated with the progress of the post-
pay raise reform movement.
For health reasons, the 2010 Democratic candidate withdrew, and McIlvaine Smith stepped in to run for re-election as State Representative for the 156th District. She was narrowly defeated for re-election by Republican
Dan Truitt
Daniel Truitt is an American politician and engineer, and member of the Libertarian Party. In 2010, he was elected to represent the 156th District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the ...
.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Barbara Mcilvaine
1950 births
American environmentalists
American women environmentalists
Living people
Native American state legislators
Native American women in politics
People from West Chester, Pennsylvania
Sac and Fox people
West Chester University alumni
Women state legislators in Pennsylvania
20th-century Native Americans
21st-century Native Americans
20th-century Native American women
21st-century Native American women
Democratic Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Politicians from West Chester, Pennsylvania