Meet Tami - Hometown Girl

My roots run deep in St. Joseph County-- my parents were born and raised in South Bend and I grew up in Osceola and attended Penn schools. I raised 7 beautiful children here, which I consider my greatest achievement. After that I attended Ivy Tech, earning an Associate Degree in Business Administration, followed by a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Trine University, and finally, a Master’s Degree in Business from Western Governors University.  I have been employed for 42 years by the University of Notre Dame as a copy editor in the Mendoza College of Business. I have coordinated our annual college food drive for 19 years in a row for the St. Vincent DePaul Food Pantry. I served on the Board of the South Bend League of Women Voters and I was President of the Staff Advisory Council at Notre Dame. 

My personal story is important to share, but difficult to talk about. It starts with a tragedy from 23 years ago that was a turning point in my life, and which has been my main motivation to give back to the community.  It was on a sunny, summer Saturday back in July of 2000, when my husband suddenly died by suicide at the age of 40, leaving me alone with our 7 children, ages 2-19.  The only way I got through the dark days following that tragedy was the outpouring of support from our local community. My work colleagues took up a collection to pay my bills, local charities brought Christmas gifts for my kids, neighbors brought us food, hospice gave us free counseling and sent my kids to camp, a church congregation paid for funeral expenses, and much more. Many individuals and organizations contributed to help us in our time of need.

Ever since then, I have wanted to make sure that other families who struggle with some of the same issues can receive the help they so desperately need. I believe what makes a community strong is how well we take care of our neighbors. Our opponents have already demonstrated they are not putting neighbors first. Just a few examples are their votes to cut funding for the Behavioral Crisis Center, Portage Manor, and Motels4Now. I would ask voters this question: who among us has never needed help at some point in their life? And who would not rush to help if their neighbor’s house was on fire? You may think this would never happen to you--that's what I thought too, but it did. We cannot predict the future, but we can provide a safety net for our friends and neighbors when tragedy strikes.

The local community rallied around me and my children as we tried to cope with the worst tragedy of our lives.  I am running for County Council to make sure that other families in crisis won’t be left behind or forgotten, and to bring back compassion to our local government. This is not a time for extremism and division, but for coming together in unity. If elected, I pledge to use my education and experience to serve with fiscal responsibility, while caring for our neighbors. This is my vision for the people of St. Joe County and I am asking for your vote to help me build a better future for everyone.