WEBVTT

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Rudy Perpich asked me to be the head

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of the DOT. My background was heavy

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in transportation and DOT kinds of things.

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And I had been the head of the

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City Council Transportation

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Committee. I was on the Airport

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Commission for ten years. I was on the

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Transit Commission for nine years.

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I mean, that's where I thought I was going.

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And there were some concerns

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that he had about the Department of

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Welfare at that time (eventually

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we changed the name to the Department

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of Human Services) and asked

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me if I could go in there for six months

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and work in that area.

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And then he told me about his own concerns.

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He had two major issues that were

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very close to him, and they

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became very close to me and maybe the

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biggest part of my legacy as the

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Department of Human Services Commissioner.

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One was keeping people living in

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their homes as long as possible,

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as independently as possible.

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I grew up next to my grandmother,

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and I was sensitized to how we were able

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to keep her, an elderly woman who

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was an immigrant... My grandfather

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had died, and she lived alone for

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many years with an uncle and with a...

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a son, who was also developmentally

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disabled, who was my uncle. He had...

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the Governor had a mother who lived

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with his father, and both parents

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were elderly. And it was important

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for them to live in their home.

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And he also had a nephew who was

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mentally retarded. And so he came to

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the job of Governor being very much

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aware and sensitized to those two issues.

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And I did, too. So it was a great

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combination, and our legacy,

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I mean, among other things...

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I know Governor Perpich did a lot

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of things, and we did other things there

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as well. But two major things, one,

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the Equalization Law, so that people

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would not have to be kicked out of

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nursing homes because they had spent

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down and they lost their private income.

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It was very important.

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And, secondly, that people no longer

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had to live in a cold, hard institution.

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They could live in a home, just like

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we live in a home. And so that's

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a big part of my legacy. I will be

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forever proud of the fact that I was

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able to play a part in it.

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There were many people who participated

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in that, from the Governor on down.

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There were all kinds of community

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people and residents themselves.

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And so, that's how it all happened.