Northwestern College | Classic magazine - Winter 2004-05 - Vol. 76 ...

AlumniprofileNorthwestern ClassicPeggy BilstenThe Path FromEducation to Politicsby Sherrie Barber Willson ’98Education and politics might seem like two vastly differentcareer paths, but according to Peggy (Leeds ’82) Bilsten,they have more in common than you might think.A physical education major, Bilsten previously taught elementaryschool and high school health and fitness. Now thevice mayor for the city of Phoenix, Ariz., she says her experiencein education has been invaluable for her current work.“As a teacher, you lead your students to new experiencesand support them in their efforts to grow. The same is true formy community work,” Bilsten says. “I cannot fix all the problemsin the community, but I can give people the resources tolearn and improve the quality of life. Then it’s up to them tomake the changes they are seeking.”Taking actionAlthough it may seem like a natural transition now,Bilsten says she never imagined she would become a politician.A native of Homestead, Fla., she met her husband, Tom’83, at Northwestern. When they moved to Phoenix in 1986for his work, she was a stay-at-home mom to their two children,Tom Jr. and Jennifer, and a school and PTA volunteer.But when four of her neighbors had their doors literallybroken down and their homes robbed within a single week,Bilsten decided she had to take action. She helped organize ablock watch group and held a meeting with local police officers.To her surprise, the district’s City Council representativecared enough to attend the meeting.A few months later, Bilsten learned that a piece of landadjacent to her subdivision was being rezoned for a majorshopping center. The district boundaries had been redrawn,and a new councilperson was now representing Bilsten’sneighborhood. Bilsten had experienced the good side of politics;now she saw the bad.“The new councilperson refused to meet with the neighbors,”she says. “He truly cared more about developers thanneighbors.”When he decided to resign from the council to run formayor, Bilsten’s former councilperson encouraged her to runA member of the Phoenix City Council for 10 years, Peggy Bilsten also servesas vice mayor.as his replacement. “I knew in my heart that people should beheard,” Bilsten says. “Not every elected official cares to listen,but I knew I would listen and do my best to serve everyone.”Serving the communityBilsten was elected to the Phoenix City Council inOctober 1994 and has been re-elected twice: in 1999 andagain in 2004. The City Council elected her vice mayor (a26 ▲ Winter 2004-05