Phoenix woman banned from cartwheeling at meetings

PHOENIX – A Phoenix woman will have to keep both feet on the ground if she wants to speak at any public meetings.

Sixty-five-year-old Dianne Barker told KSAZ-TV this week that she’s been banned from doing cartwheels at meetings held by the Maricopa Association of Governments.

An attorney for the association that oversees regional transportation projects said in a letter to Barker last month that she must “immediately cease performing cartwheels.”

Agency spokeswoman Kelly Taft tells The Associated Press that Barker’s cartwheels are disruptive and a public safety liability.

Barker says she will obey the association’s request. She was a cheerleader in college and says the cartwheels are a way for her to show her passion.

Taft says the association appreciates Barker’s enthusiasm, but she should show it verbally.