Senator moves into new home, toys with run for Congress

The Corona de Tucson home of Tim and Grace Bee is a busy place most mornings.

But with six children could it be otherwise?

The Bees—he’s the state Senate president—moved to their home in October, and on a recent morning he said he still has move-in chores to finish.

Like?

“Hanging the drapes,” he said.

Their backyard, with a million-dollar view of the Santa Cruz Valley and the mines and mountains, still needs attention.

But first things first. Christmas is fast approaching.

There’s a fully decorated tree with colored lights and tinsel and the mantle projects a warming welcome to the season.

The children are Esther, 12, Victoria, 9, Bentley, 7, Patricia, 4, Sterling, 2, and Anneliese, 22 months.

Anneliese was a foster child the Bees are adopting. The Bees are licensed foster parents.

Tim Bee said he and Grace are also thinking about adopting more as the other children grow.

Bee is in his final term in the state Senate as a result of the state’s term-limit law.

And he’s bound by Arizona’s resign-to-run law, so he can’t talk about running for any other office now.

And anyway, he said, he’s busy enough.

Early Arizona lawmakers said legislators should only make state law part of the year, and that they should spend the other part of the year working for a living.

For a time when he first entered the Legislature Bee operated the family printing business. But he eventually quit, sayings legislative work meant he couldn’t devote the time he wanted to customer service. He said he referred his customers to other printers.

Asked about running for governor, Bee said it’s unlikely that anyone who’s not from Phoenix and Maricopa County would have a chance.

Sixty percent of Arizona’s voters are registered in Maricopa County.

Tim Bee got his start in politics working for older brother Keith who had one term in the state House and two terms in the Senate.

Bee and the two state representatives from District No. 30, Marian McClure and Jonathan Paton, work together well.

During the last primary campaign, Bee was unopposed, but he pitched in and campaigned for Paton, who was serving in Iraq as an Army Reservist at the time.

Arizona has many needs, but it needs to watch its spending, too, said the senator.

“We’ve got good roads,” Grace said.

“Yes, but we need better roads,” said Tim. Arizona is the sixth largest state in the United States and good roads are essential to help tie it together, he said.

Education is another important need, he indicated.

Shortly after Bee was elected Senate president, he fired many of the majority staff members, a move that surprised many.

He was concerned, he said, that they often exerted more authority than the elected officials.

He said he heard that a staffer once tried to tell a senator how to vote.

What about the rumor that he’ll eventually run for the Republican nomination for the 8th Congressional District seat?

He’s not talking about it publicly, but wherever the political winds take him, the issue will be well vetted at home.

Asked if he talks about his political future at home, Grace said, “Oh, absolutely, all the time. We talk all about it,”

And he’s got six other participants in the discussion, she said.

Grace said all the children, even the youngest, are part of such discussions. “If it’s a major change, we all talk about it,” she said.

Bee expressed a special fondness for Green Valley.

He said voter turnout here is exceptionally high, and that’s a good way to determine the will of the people.

Grace was originally from Yuma and while visiting Tucson relatives met Tim at church. Both were 19. They married when they were 24, 19 and a half years ago.

Upstairs at the Bees, there’s an office for the children who are enrolled at Arizona Virtual Academy.

“They have their desks and computers up there,” said Tim.

And they have to take P.E., physical education, but since they can’t take it online they have to go to Tucson for it.

Every Friday, Grace is a P.E. instructor for children enrolled at Arizona Virtual,

“I have 25 to 30 children, four-, five- and six-year-olds, who participate,” she said. There are other children in other groups there.

The P.E. program is held at Lincoln Park.

And Grace is a dance mom, too.

Victoria and Esther take ballet and they’ll appear in “A Southwest Nutcracker” that opens at TCC Music Hall, Friday, Dec. 7

“Victoria is a coyote and a Native American princess, and Esther is a prairie girl, a Native American girl and a soldier,” said Grace.

Both girls are also in the Tucson Children’s Choir.

And the children are learning to be political operatives.

“Oh, during a campaign, they love to help,” said Tim “stuffing envelopes and other things.”

“They also like to dress up and go to political rallies and meetings,” Grace said.

jlamb@gvnews.com | 547-9749