Sandi Jackson sees House committee chairmanship in Jesse's future

October 3, 2012 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Alderman Sandi Jackson says she doesn't know if her husband, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., will be back at work before Election Day.

The congressman took a leave of absence almost three months ago to be treated for depression.

Sandi Jackson talked about her husband's treatment on Wednesday.

Patience -- that is what Alderman Jackson is suggesting to the voters who may or may not see her husband before the November 6th election. Jesse Jackson Jr. has yet to be seen in public since he was diagnosed with bipolar depression in June.

"We are waiting for his doctors to say yes, and when they do we will move accordingly," she said.

Jackson says the 2nd District congressman meets with his doctors two to three times a week. While there is no guarantee he will make a public appearance before the election, Jackson insists there will be no last-minute switches and her husband will stay on the ballot.

"There are no plans to remove his name from the ballot," she said.

The congressman faces two unknown challengers.

Alderman Jackson believes voters know the value of re-electing her husband whether they see him or not before the election.

"If we are able to regain the House and put Nancy Pelosi back in leadership, that will move Jesse one notch closer to a chairmanship in Appropriations," she said.

Congressman Jackson is recovering in the family's Washington DC home, a house that the Jacksons were trying to sell to help offset high medical bills. The alderman says even the top-notch Congressional health plan does not include full coverage for mental illness.

In the meantime, the alderman is personally anxious for her husband to return to work.

"From a wife's perspective, having your husband home every single day with the kids and my mother is another story. It serves for very interesting times in the Jackson household," she said.

If Congressman Jackson does not return to Capitol Hill , Sandi Jackson says she has no plans of taking his place his Congress. Jackson says she is perfectly happy being the alderman of the 7th Ward, although she says she has learned in politics never to say never.

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local, sarah schulte

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