Rudy Perpich asked me to be the head
of the DOT. My background was heavy
in transportation and DOT kinds of things.
And I had been the head of the
City Council Transportation
Committee. I was on the Airport
Commission for ten years. I was on the
Transit Commission for nine years.
I mean, that's where I thought I was going.
And there were some concerns
that he had about the Department of
Welfare at that time (eventually
we changed the name to the Department
of Human Services) and asked
me if I could go in there for six months
and work in that area.
And then he told me about his own concerns.
He had two major issues that were
very close to him, and they
became very close to me and maybe the
biggest part of my legacy as the
Department of Human Services Commissioner.
One was keeping people living in
their homes as long as possible,
as independently as possible.
I grew up next to my grandmother,
and I was sensitized to how we were able
to keep her, an elderly woman who
was an immigrant... My grandfather
had died, and she lived alone for
many years with an uncle and with a...
a son, who was also developmentally
disabled, who was my uncle. He had...
the Governor had a mother who lived
with his father, and both parents
were elderly. And it was important
for them to live in their home.
And he also had a nephew who was
mentally retarded. And so he came to
the job of Governor being very much
aware and sensitized to those two issues.
And I did, too. So it was a great
combination, and our legacy,
I mean, among other things...
I know Governor Perpich did a lot
of things, and we did other things there
as well. But two major things, one,
the Equalization Law, so that people
would not have to be kicked out of
nursing homes because they had spent
down and they lost their private income.
It was very important.
And, secondly, that people no longer
had to live in a cold, hard institution.
They could live in a home, just like
we live in a home. And so that's
a big part of my legacy. I will be
forever proud of the fact that I was
able to play a part in it.
There were many people who participated
in that, from the Governor on down.
There were all kinds of community
people and residents themselves.
And so, that's how it all happened.