I’ve been a Democrat my entire life. Growing up in a blue-collar family taught me a lot about politics, policy, and money. My dad retired from Local 136 here in Evansville as a pipefitter ten years ago, and many of my childhood memories are of him coming home from work or a union meeting, taking his soft cap off, and placing his lunch pail on our kitchen countertop. Back in the ’80s, when we faced 17% mortgage interest rates and the unions were basically brought to their knees, the term “Reaganomics” was used frequently within our household. When I was in the second grade, my mom went to work for Atlas Van Lines here in town to help make ends meet. Every Friday evening, after my dad had gone to the bank, he would always peel crisp dollar bills off of his money roll and give me and my older brother $2 each for making our beds and keeping our rooms clean. I would promptly run back to my room and place those green gems into an old McDonald’s Happy Meal box that held my mini sticker book, my Cabbage Patch Doll figurines, and all my six-year-old self’s most prized possessions.

Little did I know as a little girl that my young frugal mindset and resourcefulness would help me persevere throughout my entire life. I had my first daughter at the age of 17 and am forever grateful to the special teacher at North High School who helped me enroll her in ‘Little Husky World’ so I could finish my high school diploma. I married my high school sweetheart in between my junior and senior years at North High School, and we will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this summer. Jason Yaser is the perfect complement to me, and I would not be who I am today without his love and his silent leadership. We truly finished raising one another from an early age. We had to stand in lines to apply for food stamps, WIC vouchers, and Medicaid for Jessica. We left Evansville in 1996 when Jason went active duty in the U.S. Army. We would return later to Evansville to continue raising our family.

Joely was born in 2001, and she completed our family. I’ve always tried my best to set a good example to my girls and inspire them both to reach for their dreams and explore their full potential. In 2016, my oldest daughter, Jessica, became the first person in our family to earn a Bachelor’s degree.

I truly believe our family’s story is not all that unique from many others out there. We’ve all endured job layoffs, sacrifice, depression, anxieties, good times, hard times, joy, and sorrow. We all get up every morning with the best of intentions and with a desire to make a meaningful difference for our loved ones. We all try to make the best use of the resources we have available to us.

My youngest daughter, Joely, and I are very proud to recently have helped Youth First obtain a $35,000 grant from The Women’s Foundation to get more social workers into our local schools. I am an advocate for better mental health resources in our community, and I will work tirelessly on these efforts. We not only have a healthcare crisis in our nation, nor just an opioid epidemic in our state, nor just an overcrowding problem in our city jails…we have a mental health crisis, and it’s time we roll our sleeves up and get involved at the policy-making level.

I’m running for City Council in the 5th ward to make a meaningful difference and to make “E” work for EVERYONE in Evansville. I have a background in managed care/healthcare and education, and this is my story. I am excited to get started on this City Council campaign and get out into the community and into the 5th ward so I can meet you and hear your stories, struggles, and triumphs as well.