Laurie Cohen and Ray Gibson have an important profile on Valerie Jarrett in
The Chicago Tribune:
Jarrett was a young City Hall lawyer in 1988 when she met Richard M. Daley at the wedding of her friend John Rogers, a prominent investment adviser.Daley was elected mayor a year later, and Jarrett rose quickly to the post of planning commissioner in his cabinet. Along the way, she hired a lawyer named Michelle Obama, who introduced Jarrett to her husband, Barack.
Jarrett became a good friend of both Obamas, serving as chairman of the finance committee for Obama's 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate and a key adviser in the presidential race.
Over the years, Jarrett has accumulated an astounding array of directorships. She has been on about 17 boards, a total that doesn't include government agencies such as the Chicago Transit Authority, where she was Daley's hand-picked chairman from 1995 to 2003.
There's more on what happens when you oppose The Machine:
Ald. Toni Preckwinkle (4th), one of the few members of Chicago's City Council who regularly defy the mayor, said Jarrett became close to Daley because of talent, hard work and loyalty. Jarrett, along with the Obamas, lives in the Kenwood neighborhood in Preckwinkle's South Side ward.
Last year Jarrett took Preckwinkle to task for voting against Daley's plan to have the city provide a $500 million financial guarantee for the Olympic bid. Jarrett "wasn't happy," about her vote, Preckwinkle said, even though the mayor won by a 45-5 margin.
"Valerie is a very loyal person," said Preckwinkle, who counts Jarrett as a friend. "She is very loyal to the mayor and very loyal to Barack."
You'll want to read about her job performance at Habitat.
