One thing you need to know about me is that, in addition to my mom, I was raised by two strong, remarkable women. My grandmother Yolanda (“Yo” as I called her) and her sister Clara were born in Omaha before women could vote. They grew up in a house their dad, an Italian immigrant, built overlooking Leavenworth Park on South 35th Street. Yo raised my mother in that same house. Clara could not have children, so she became a second mother to my mom. Clara eventually bought a house with her husband just a block away. Much of my childhood was spent running between these houses, playing in Leavenworth Park, and taking the bus all over town with Yo and Clara (neither ever drove a car).
Shortly after her 80th birthday, Clara was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Over the next several years, she lost the ability to live alone and moved back in with my grandmother. When caring for Clara became too much, both women moved in with me and my mom.
Eventually, Clara lost the ability to walk, eat, and even talk. Her body was strong, but the disease was relentless. This was when we learned there are far too few resources for Douglas County residents suffering from dementia. I watched my mother call from place to place—everywhere in Omaha—trying to find adequate care for the woman who helped raise us both. Even though we had means to pay for care, we had only one option: The Douglas County Health Center.
I spent countless hours there as Clara lived out her last few years, and I was with her when she passed away in 2000. A few years later, Yolanda suffered a stroke and lost the use of one side of her body. The staff at DCHC cared for her until she entered hospice and passed away in 2009. In 2020, my wife and I named our new daughter Clara to honor these women who gave me so much.
The two questions I get asked the most are “What does the County Board do?” and “Why are you running?” Yo and Clara are a big part of my answer to both.
The hard truth is we don’t have enough elder care in Nebraska, we don’t have enough dementia and memory loss care, and we certainly don’t have enough mental health care. This is why DCHC is the only option for many in Douglas County, just like it was for us.
I’m running because I believe that we have to work hard to protect these services. That means budgeting carefully. That means understanding and scrutinizing funding sources and guarding against runaway costs. And that means never ever losing sight of the very real human costs of the Board’s decisions. I’ve experienced those costs—through life and death—and I promise I will do everything I can as commissioner to protect these services. For Yo. For Clara. For you and your family.