When I was elected as the State Central Committeewoman for the 7th District, I made tough decisions that brought our party together and moved our great state forward. We must continue the hard work and have your voice heard in Washington.

I’m asking for your support and your vote!

Darlena at the Skinner School ribbon cutting

In an effort to provide Cook County residents with protection against the fastest growing white collar crime in America, Darlena helped develop and implement a plan to conceal valuable, identifying information from all office records.  Darlena also supported a large investment in technology for the office that some deemed unnecessary.  Within a year the upgrades, which automated the Recorder of Deeds office allowing for better communication between systems, employees, and the public, paid for itself.  Residents continue to benefit from convenient, electronic access to a number forms and information.  Because vendors hired to carry out the upgrades were required by the office to employ local residents, the investment also provided immediate jobs and long-lasting training to many Chicagoans.

As Cook County Commissioner, Darlena took spending head-on when she proposed a model justifying the cost of building the new Cook County Hospital (John Stroger Hospital).  The existing hospital was costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in energy costs alone, while medical advancements were making the structure all but obsolete.  Though her peers had reached a stalemate in the decision-making process, Darlena offered up a plan that eventually led to construction of the new hospital.

During this time Darlena also served as Commissioner of the Forest Preserve, where she worked to improve the safety of the county’s preserves.  Siding with Conservationists on the subject of prairie restoration, which returns the preserves to their natural state, Darlena supported removing harmful plant species and dangerous overgrowth; and ultimately beautifying our forest preserves.

In 2002 Darlena was elected State Central Committeeperson.  In one of her proudest moments, Darlena helped shape policy changing the early primary voting order of the States.  A change to which some attribute the eventual nomination of Barrack Obama.  As Super Delegate in 2004, Darlena went against party leadership to support Barrack Obama’s run for Senate and was one of the first to support Obama’s Presidential campaign.

When Harold Washington urged the people of Chicago to become involved in government, Darlena looked to her union at the Cook County Sherriff’s office.  First serving as a Union Steward Darlena lobbied in Washington D.C. for Dental Benefits for herself and other co-workers; who, at the time, were considered the working poor.  She would later lobby for the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).  After only a few encounters with union leadership, Darlena was appointed Union Contract Negotiator.  Darlena still assists on the management side of the labor union, keeps in contact with union leaders, and attends union events.

Community involvement is a passion of Darlena’s that she constantly promotes.  As a volunteer, Darlena has served as Treasurer for Friends of Jesse White and served as Deputy Campaign Manager for White’s first run for Secretary of State.  As a member and Deaconess of First Baptist Congregational Church Darlena volunteered as Treasurer, managing a budget of a little over a million dollars.  Darlena also helped Deborah’s Place, a shelter for homeless women, obtain space in the 27^th Ward and develop a work training and employment program.  On the Board of AIDS Care, Darlena went door-to-door in the 24^th Ward to obtain community backing for affordable housing specially outfitted to provide numerous social services for individuals and families affected by AIDS.  Though 24^th Ward residents were initially apprehensive, Darlena spoke personally with them about the lively transition the housing would bring to the area.

From the Desk of Darlena

When Housing is Not a Home

As the owner and manager of a renter-occupied housing unit, I commit myself to ensuring safe and healthy living conditions for my residents.  Unfortunately, this a luxury to which many Americans are not privy.  For years public housing has fallen far short providing even the basics in savory living conditions. For its residents the absence of quality public housing becomes viral as it negatively affects child development, stifles the advancement of adults, and can ultimately lead to increased violence, drug use, and health problems.

With the recent housing boom, even developers of expensive residences in prime neighborhoods cut costly corners in a rush to move on to the next project.  This has led to expensive repairs that buyers weighed down by hefty mortgages sometimes can’t afford putting them at risk of foreclosure.  It is time that both the managers and developers in the public and private housing sectors are held accountable for their work.  As a Congressperson, I will push for stricter guidelines for developers and greater scrutiny of public housing management practices.

Financial Responsibility is Everyone’s Responsibility

Though Investment Houses and Private Lenders have recently captured the attention of the Federal Government, I have long been an advocate of transparency in the financial sector.  The Government’s unwillingness to regulate several aspects of the financial industry has led to wave of economic devastation for millions of Americans.  No longer should convoluted language, lack of regulatory expertise, or an uneducated public lay the groundwork for Wall Street to run amok.  As your Congressperson, I will work towards the creation of financial industry rules built on best practices that all stakeholders understand.  My goal is to protect individual investors, as well as this Nation’s economy.

Health Care: The Newest Four-Letter Word

We can all agree that health care reform is intertwined with health insurance reform.  Over 45 million Americans are living without health insurance.  With the rising cost of employer health benefits, many working people have chosen to opt out of health insurance plans; while the ‘uninsurable’ struggle to find coverage.  A recent study shows that based on the effects of the recession alone (not job loss), it is projected that without action nearly seven million Americans will lose their health insurance coverage by 2010.  While these numbers are daunting, they must be confronted with real solutions that don’t put insurance companies out of business; but instead require them to change their business model.  When individuals with pre-existing conditions are denied insurance coverage they end up receiving care that could be administered by a regular doctor or hospital in the emergency room.  There, the cost of providing care is much greater and the individual’s likelihood of survival lessened.  When health insurance industry practices cause loss of life it becomes not only a political issue, but moral one.  No longer can it go ignored.

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