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Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 3:34 pm
by iamjacobm
RNcyanide wrote:I remember a while back, a reporter asked Mayor Stothert if she had ambitions to run for a state office, to which she said absolutely not. This would allow her to take advantage of the more moderate political climate in Omaha and do things like this. That way, she doesn't have to worry about goose-stepping with a party and having this come back to haunt her like other politicians would.
A lot more would get done if more politicians acted like Mayor Stothert and Congressman Ashford. I was worried that our state was headed toward the awful party line rhetoric that seems to have grabbed hold of the nation with our two new Senators, be the loudest cheerleader for your party's most extreme stances and get political power(this happens on both sides). I am very glad that Ashford has reached across the aisle, even if I disagree with some of his stances the free thinking mentality is the only way to get meaningful things done. Same with Stothert, I have not liked all of her stances, but she has decided to not handcuff herself to her party and I applaud her for that.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 6:51 pm
by Linkin5
iamjacobm wrote:Stothert has vocally supported the bill to grant Dreamers drivers liscenses and has vocally opposed a bill to limit TIF. I think she has shown to be far more moderate than the stance she ran on. I am a pretty big fan of much of the things she has done.
I definitely agree and think she has done great so far. As well, f*ck the firefighter Union, it makes me sick how much those guys make and cost our city.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:24 pm
by Coyote
Mayor Stothert’s proposed 2016 budget emphasizes public safety — including more police officers, firefighters
Roseann Moring: World-Herald staff writer wrote: Stothert said the city still faces financial challenges from some familiar topics: health care costs, the sewer separation project and the city’s two pension systems. Since 2012, the city has about doubled its reserves to about $12 million.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 12:10 am
by S33
Linkin5 wrote: I definitely agree and think she has done great so far. As well, f*ck the firefighter Union, it makes me sick how much those guys make and cost our city.
But they're heroes!

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 1:32 pm
by Louie
S33 wrote:
Linkin5 wrote: I definitely agree and think she has done great so far. As well, f*ck the firefighter Union, it makes me sick how much those guys make and cost our city.
But they're heroes!
My cousin's husband is an Omaha firefighter. He's been at it for about a dozen years or so. Makes over 90k. And he is more the rule than the exception for his seniority level. It's all public info.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 1:36 pm
by S33
Louie wrote:
S33 wrote:
Linkin5 wrote: I definitely agree and think she has done great so far. As well, f*ck the firefighter Union, it makes me sick how much those guys make and cost our city.
But they're heroes!
My cousin's husband is an Omaha firefighter. He's been at it for about a dozen years or so. Makes over 90k. And he is more the rule than the exception for his seniority level. It's all public info.
I know, I was being facetious.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 3:42 pm
by Linkin5
Their income is insane, I couldn't believe how many of the firefighters made over 100K.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 8:11 pm
by Louie
S33 wrote:
Louie wrote:
S33 wrote:
Linkin5 wrote: I definitely agree and think she has done great so far. As well, f*ck the firefighter Union, it makes me sick how much those guys make and cost our city.
But they're heroes!
My cousin's husband is an Omaha firefighter. He's been at it for about a dozen years or so. Makes over 90k. And he is more the rule than the exception for his seniority level. It's all public info.
I know, I was being facetious.
Haha I picked up on it. I was just agreeing by backing it up with a fact.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 10:13 pm
by GRANDPASMUCKER
The Police and the Fireman Unions both know that the math does not add up on the cities abilities to keep paying them those high wages and pensions and benefits. They don't care that most of the rest of us dont have those kind of benefits and retirement plans. Its all about them. They dont care that they are one of the main reasons that property taxes have had to be raised. Now we see that former Fire department Union head Mike McDonell is running for a seat in the legislature. This guy never was anything but a politician talking out of the side of his mouth. I hope the public is smart enough to know we dont need a self centered greedy person like that in public office. Some heroes huh. Whos going to protect us from the heroes?

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 10:51 pm
by nativeomahan
The mayor's proposed 2016 budget seems well thought out. It is amazing how everyone can seem so wise and popular when the economy is on a roll and tax revenues are streaming in. I note that the supposedly unpopular restaurant tax (the tax that led to a recall petition against then mayor Suttle, and that prompted many area citizens to declare they would stop eating at Omaha restaurants) is projected to bring in $29,000,000 next year. That tax ain't going anywhere. And other Nebraska communities have now enacted similar restaurant taxes, as have cities in other states.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 7:27 am
by Uffda
Louie wrote:
S33 wrote:
Linkin5 wrote: I definitely agree and think she has done great so far. As well, f*ck the firefighter Union, it makes me sick how much those guys make and cost our city.
But they're heroes!
My cousin's husband is an Omaha firefighter. He's been at it for about a dozen years or so. Makes over 90k. And he is more the rule than the exception for his seniority level. It's all public info.
A little over a dozen years in with OPS and (35yrs altogether+ Masters) and $30k+ short of making $90k

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 9:27 am
by S33
Uffda wrote:
Louie wrote:
S33 wrote:
Linkin5 wrote: I definitely agree and think she has done great so far. As well, f*ck the firefighter Union, it makes me sick how much those guys make and cost our city.
But they're heroes!
My cousin's husband is an Omaha firefighter. He's been at it for about a dozen years or so. Makes over 90k. And he is more the rule than the exception for his seniority level. It's all public info.
A little over a dozen years in with OPS and (35yrs altogether+ Masters) and $30k+ short of making $90k
Well, you're not a hero. You're just some person who shows up and makes the kids do things they don't want to do, and hurts their feelings

You can't tell me this isn't true, just ask their parents. ;)

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 10:09 am
by jessep28
On the wider subject of unions, the case coming up in the Supreme Court next term over public sector employees being forced to pay union dues, even if they don't join the union, should be interesting.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2015 11:25 pm
by Coyote
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:The Police and the Fireman Unions both know that the math does not add up on the cities abilities to keep paying them those high wages and pensions and benefits. They don't care that most of the rest of us dont have those kind of benefits and retirement plans. Its all about them. They dont care that they are one of the main reasons that property taxes have had to be raised. Now we see that former Fire department Union head Mike McDonell is running for a seat in the legislature. This guy never was anything but a politician talking out of the side of his mouth. I hope the public is smart enough to know we dont need a self centered greedy person like that in public office. Some heroes huh. Whos going to protect us from the heroes?
Word is McDonnell has the support of the political machinery. Running in a termed South O district, he will assuredly gain that seat, but has his eyes beyond our horizon. The making of a typical political gorilla, but, I was told the rest of his story from the other side...

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 12:45 pm
by S33
Coyote wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:The Police and the Fireman Unions both know that the math does not add up on the cities abilities to keep paying them those high wages and pensions and benefits. They don't care that most of the rest of us dont have those kind of benefits and retirement plans. Its all about them. They dont care that they are one of the main reasons that property taxes have had to be raised. Now we see that former Fire department Union head Mike McDonell is running for a seat in the legislature. This guy never was anything but a politician talking out of the side of his mouth. I hope the public is smart enough to know we dont need a self centered greedy person like that in public office. Some heroes huh. Whos going to protect us from the heroes?
Word is McDonnell has the support of the political machinery. Running in a termed South O district, he will assuredly gain that seat, but has his eyes beyond our horizon. The making of a typical political gorilla, but, I was told the rest of his story from the other side...
Perfect political poetry everyone should read to their kids, so our youngsters understand why their political system is so unrepresentative of the majority.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2015 9:56 am
by Joe_Sovereign
S33 wrote:
Coyote wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:The Police and the Fireman Unions both know that the math does not add up on the cities abilities to keep paying them those high wages and pensions and benefits. They don't care that most of the rest of us dont have those kind of benefits and retirement plans. Its all about them. They dont care that they are one of the main reasons that property taxes have had to be raised. Now we see that former Fire department Union head Mike McDonell is running for a seat in the legislature. This guy never was anything but a politician talking out of the side of his mouth. I hope the public is smart enough to know we dont need a self centered greedy person like that in public office. Some heroes huh. Whos going to protect us from the heroes?
Word is McDonnell has the support of the political machinery. Running in a termed South O district, he will assuredly gain that seat, but has his eyes beyond our horizon. The making of a typical political gorilla, but, I was told the rest of his story from the other side...
Perfect political poetry everyone should read to their kids, so our youngsters understand why their political system is so unrepresentative of the majority.
I am a strong supporter of Private Sector Unions but the Public Sector Unions are a scam. Politicians negotiating contracts with their political donors using tax payers money, there is no way that doesn't lead to corruption.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2015 7:45 am
by Greg S
I am really glad she turned down Ralston's plea to shut down Motto/Hitchcock ice rink.

Greg

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2015 10:37 pm
by bigredmed
Greg S wrote:I am really glad she turned down Ralston's plea to shut down Motto/Hitchcock ice rink.

Greg
I realize that she pretty much had to meet and hear the proposal, but wow, should the people of Ralston be embarrassed more over getting played by the pro arena crowd or for electing a guy who would present such a plan.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 7:13 pm
by HskrFanMike
The Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday that Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has offered ConAgra tax incentives to move its headquarters to Chicago from Omaha. Crain’s Chicago Business, a magazine, reported the move “appears to be a done deal.” Neither cited sources, and their reports couldn’t be independently verified. Rauner’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment, nor did the office of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel.
The Chicago Tribune said Connolly negotiated the incentive package with Illinois months ago.
Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said she planned to meet with Connolly this afternoon. She said it will be her first meeting with him on the topic of ConAgra’s presence in Omaha. The meeting is at her request, she said.
ConAgra hasn’t asked Stothert’s office for assistance of any kind, she said.
“It indicates to me that city or state incentives are not what they are looking for,” Stothert said.
http://www.omaha.com/money/aid-package- ... 44447.html

No, it indicates that Mayor Stothert been asleep at the wheel all summer long.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 7:27 pm
by daveoma
HskrFanMike wrote:
The Chicago Tribune reported Tuesday that Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has offered ConAgra tax incentives to move its headquarters to Chicago from Omaha. Crain’s Chicago Business, a magazine, reported the move “appears to be a done deal.” Neither cited sources, and their reports couldn’t be independently verified. Rauner’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment, nor did the office of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel.
The Chicago Tribune said Connolly negotiated the incentive package with Illinois months ago.
Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert said she planned to meet with Connolly this afternoon. She said it will be her first meeting with him on the topic of ConAgra’s presence in Omaha. The meeting is at her request, she said.
ConAgra hasn’t asked Stothert’s office for assistance of any kind, she said.
“It indicates to me that city or state incentives are not what they are looking for,” Stothert said.
http://www.omaha.com/money/aid-package- ... 44447.html

No, it indicates that Mayor Stothert been asleep at the wheel all summer long.
It appears the move to Illinois was a foregone conclusion.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2015 8:36 pm
by RNcyanide
I don't think she wasn't keen as to what was going on here. There were probably a lot of things she knew but wasn't able to speak publicly about.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 7:02 am
by HskrFanMike
RNcyanide wrote:I don't think she wasn't keen as to what was going on here. There were probably a lot of things she knew but wasn't able to speak publicly about.
If that were the case, then why the last minute scramble? The time to talk was months ago when the rumors and reports were just hitting.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 8:47 am
by RNcyanide
Even if she was caught off guard, what could she do? Hold a gun to their heads? Offer to tear down the Greenhouse and the dispatch center, or to wash his cars every week?

No one really could do anything to get this guy to keep it here. In Corporate America, job comes to you.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 12:29 pm
by HskrFanMike
She might not have been able to do anything. In fact, she probably couldn't.

The problem is that she didn't even have that conversation until yesterday, when the conversation was reduced to "Please don't go!" This isn't all on the Mayor; Governor Ricketts has been just as clueless, and his crony at the Platte Institute, Jim Vokal, has been trying to spin this as a tax issue. Again - all because these leaders have been caught asleep at the switch.

Some might forgive her because it does appear there was nothing she could have done. But the time to find that out was in May and June, when all of this discussion started. Not 18 hours before the ConAgra's announcement. Was she simply waiting for ConAgra to demand something?

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:14 pm
by Erik
HskrFanMike wrote:She might not have been able to do anything. In fact, she probably couldn't.

The problem is that she didn't even have that conversation until yesterday, when the conversation was reduced to "Please don't go!" This isn't all on the Mayor; Governor Ricketts has been just as clueless, and his crony at the Platte Institute, Jim Vokal, has been trying to spin this as a tax issue. Again - all because these leaders have been caught asleep at the switch.

Some might forgive her because it does appear there was nothing she could have done. But the time to find that out was in May and June, when all of this discussion started. Not 18 hours before the ConAgra's announcement. Was she simply waiting for ConAgra to demand something?
Word

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:30 pm
by iamjacobm
Not blaming Stothert. I do think people would be outside of Suttle's office with torches and pitchforks if this happened under his watch though.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:36 pm
by RNcyanide
iamjacobm wrote:Not blaming Stothert. I do think people would be outside of Suttle's office with torches and pitchforks if this happened under his watch though.
Suttle made that hard not to happen.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 1:39 pm
by Midwestern
The best thing Stothert could do to save face (even though, it's really not her fault whatsoever -- but politicians get blamed for a lot of things...) would be to publicly help guide the transition of ConAgra's campus to a more dense/appropriate setting. It isn't just us development nerds that are aware of this. There's a lot of comments on different news articles, on Facebook, etc, from people saying they'd like better use of that green space.

Help make it happen, Jean. Become a hero.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 3:53 pm
by bigredmed
RNcyanide wrote:
iamjacobm wrote:Not blaming Stothert. I do think people would be outside of Suttle's office with torches and pitchforks if this happened under his watch though.
Suttle made that hard not to happen.
He and his crew appeared to have a thing against Millard. That did him in.

This was a done deal from the get go. Not her fault. I think we should make it clear to CAG when they leave that we will be less than willing to support them in the future, so when tax deals and other negotiations come up, they need to know that if they get a deal, it will be a perfunctory one and that needs to be from both parties.

As for building up that space, I frankly like the green space, and would oppose building too soon as it would seem like we were reacting from weakness. Lets expand it as a park and bide our time. Oh, and lets use eminent domain on it.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 8:47 pm
by GetUrban
I agree there is nothing she could have done. Actually, I'm glad it didn't get to the point where ConAgra stayed because they accepted even more give-a-ways on top of everything else they've already taken from us.

It's encouraging she already opened the door to the possibility that development of the excessive expanses of the campus grassy lots may be pursued with even more vigor now. I'd like to see everything west of the former 8th St achieve the density it had before late 1988. It will need to have well thought-out connections to the park to the east of course. Let's please not increase the amount of grass! HoAP doesn't really function very well for any events but a casual stroll, if you can find the way to get to it, so I could see possibly reconfiguring parts of the land around or under the ConAgra buildings into a great lawn with an amphitheater.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 11:05 pm
by HskrFanMike
RNcyanide wrote:
iamjacobm wrote:Not blaming Stothert. I do think people would be outside of Suttle's office with torches and pitchforks if this happened under his watch though.
Suttle made that hard not to happen.
"KFAB made that hard not to happen."
--- Fixed that for you.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Thu Oct 01, 2015 11:23 pm
by daveoma
HskrFanMike wrote: This isn't all on the Mayor; Governor Ricketts has been just as clueless, and his crony at the Platte Institute, Jim Vokal, has been trying to spin this as a tax issue. Again - all because these leaders have been caught asleep at the switch.
It appears the governor was too busy being preoccupied with the death penalty.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2015 6:32 am
by bigredmed
HskrFanMike wrote:
RNcyanide wrote:
iamjacobm wrote:Not blaming Stothert. I do think people would be outside of Suttle's office with torches and pitchforks if this happened under his watch though.
Suttle made that hard not to happen.
"KFAB made that hard not to happen."
--- Fixed that for you.
Nope, you broke it.

Audience has to be there first.
Consider that Millard had two swimming pools at either end of that part of town. Both were removed and replaced with crappy "park-like" landscapes. He looked straight at the lower middle class people who live in east Millard and said, "you people are rich and could join a country club if your kids want a pool". Things like dumping more than their assigned number of scattered site houses into their neighborhoods, removing their pools and parks, putting halfway houses for pedophiles near elementary schools (Norris elementary) all contributed to his low image in the city.

KFAB marketed to the city and anti-Suttle people got more ratings. He was a Mayor who used Sienna Francis house for election fraud. The guy used chronically mentally ill homeless people to try to defraud us! He was not a good guy.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2015 8:45 am
by RNcyanide
Wasn't his campaign slogan "I'm not Suttle about how I run things." Or something to that effect? Makes so much sense now.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2015 3:19 pm
by Garrett
I still wonder what would have happened had Daub gotten in like he should have....

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 5:39 am
by GRANDPASMUCKER
Garrett wrote:I still wonder what would have happened had Daub gotten in like he should have....
Get real. Daub is and was a snake in the grass and a bully. I still remember when Daub beat his first wife. Stothert is the best mayor this town ever had. Stothert handled this ConAgra thing like a good poker player. She went into that meeting this week with ConAgra knowing full well that her opponent was sitting on a good hand. She got in the meeting and seen that she was up against a full house and rather then make a bet she would loose anyway she folded.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 7:07 am
by RNcyanide
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:
Garrett wrote:I still wonder what would have happened had Daub gotten in like he should have....
Get real. Daub is and was a snake in the grass and a bully. I still remember when Daub beat his first wife. Stothert is the best mayor this town ever had. Stothert handled this ConAgra thing like a good poker player. She went into that meeting this week with ConAgra knowing full well that her opponent was sitting on a good hand. She got in the meeting and seen that she was up against a full house and rather then make a bet she would loose anyway she folded.
I was a little young to remember Daub, but I don't remember hearing too many nice things about him. We would have got the 20-someodd story Marriott though instead of the squatty Hilton like we did.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2015 4:24 pm
by bigredmed
RNcyanide wrote:
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:
Garrett wrote:I still wonder what would have happened had Daub gotten in like he should have....
Get real. Daub is and was a snake in the grass and a bully. I still remember when Daub beat his first wife. Stothert is the best mayor this town ever had. Stothert handled this ConAgra thing like a good poker player. She went into that meeting this week with ConAgra knowing full well that her opponent was sitting on a good hand. She got in the meeting and seen that she was up against a full house and rather then make a bet she would loose anyway she folded.
I was a little young to remember Daub, but I don't remember hearing too many nice things about him. We would have got the 20-someodd story Marriott though instead of the squatty Hilton like we did.
A lot of people gave him |expletive|. The next two mayors showed us how good he was. Thankfully, we now have Stothert.

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 9:41 am
by Bosco55David
GRANDPASMUCKER wrote:
Garrett wrote:Stothert is the best mayor this town ever had.
Image

No way you can be serious. I really don't have too many complaints about Stothert (and I hated her when she was on the City Council) but, you really can't be serious.

Daub, Fahey and Suttle have all done more for this city than Stothert has thus far. To date, Stothert's best work has been ditching the teabagger nonsense, governing in a moderate manner and not undoing the fiscal policies of Jim Suttle (even though she campaigned ferociously against them).

Re: The Stothert Administration

Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2015 9:42 am
by Bosco55David
bigredmed wrote:A lot of people gave him |expletive|. The next two mayors showed us how good he was. Thankfully, we now have Stothert.
Daub was a very good mayor, but so was Fahey. Suttle actually did a lot of good too, despite being a horrible PR guy.