Tacoma Weekly: Governor spends time in the shoes of homecare worker

by Matt Nagle

While many working people spent Monday morning going back to the old 9-to-5 grind, Governor Christine Gregoire did something completely different with her day: she shadowed Tacoma homecare worker Rosa Vadillo to discover first-hand what it is like to provide in-home care for someone who is unable to fully take care of themselves.

“Walk A Day In My Shoes,” held in Tacoma this year on June 30, is a national program that has attracted the participation of numerous political leaders like Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama, but Gregoire is the first sitting governor or gubernatorial candidate ever in the country to have volunteered to take on the challenge. A program of Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the day was established to ensure that candidates for political office experience what it is like for working people to raise a family in America.

“It’s important for those of us who want to serve in public office to know what it’s like for the client and those who care for them,” Gregoire said before starting her shift with Vadillo. “I’m a better learner when I have my own experience rather than just reading about something.”

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