ABOUT BARBARA
Barbara is no stranger to Mason City Council. She served the City of Mason for eight years from 2011-2019 and was Vice Mayor for four years from 2015-2019. She was re-elected in 2021 and served as the Mayor from December 2021-November 2023. Barbara’s current term ends November 30, 2025. Thus, she is seeking to be re-elected to Mason City Council for her fourth term.
Barbara loves her community and wants to serve the community once again as a member of Mason City Council. Barbara knows that Mason is a great place to raise a family. She is committed to working to keep a cohesive City Council needed to advance City initiatives and strengthen community pride.
Growing up in Mason
Barbara’s parents moved to the Mason area in 1953 when the “Village of Mason” was surrounded by fields and farms. Her family has lived in Mason ever since. Barbara attended Mason City schools, along with her brothers and sister. She is a proud graduate of the William Mason High School Class of 1978.
Barbara was recently presented with the 2025 Mason Schools Foundation William Mason High School Distinguished Alumni Award.
College and a career in social work took her away for 20 years, but having loved her small town community and its heritage, she returned in 1999 to raise her daughter and rejoin her family here.
Barbara is married to John Spaeth, and together they have four children and seven grandchildren. Although Mason is not the same small town in which she grew up, it still has a great sense of community, family, and heritage.
Career
For Barbara, helping to create strong families has been the core of her work.
Barbara was a social worker for 25 years, working with children, women, and families. She retired in 2005 and spent time being a room mother in her daughter’s classroom, participated on various PTO committees, served on the PTO Board and led a Brownie Girl Scout troop for three years. She worked part-time for more than a decade for the Mason City Schools in the Child Nutrition Department.
Barbara now serves on the Mary Ann Klingling Trust Fund Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Kiwanis Club of Mason.
Council Work
Barbara spent her first year as a City Council member listening, learning, and educating herself on City operations, protocols, and procedures. This provided her with a solid foundation to respond to citizens, make decisions, promote the City, and provide a vision for Mason’s future.
Barbara is honest. She is not afraid to ask questions or speak her mind, and she will challenge issues that she does not think are in the best interest of the City. Barbara’s decisions are based on what she thinks is right for our community, even when it may not always be the most popular position. She believes that a Council member must be willing to take chances and “rock the boat” when necessary.
Barbara was once told that she “did not have the luxury of being emotional as a Council member.” Barbara disagrees with this statement. She is compassionate and governs with empathy. If she sees that something is being done to the community that is wrong, she will stand up for what she thinks is best for Mason. Barbara is passionate about the issues that affect citizens most.
