The Stothert Administration

[Coyote]

Petition filed to recall Mayor Jean Stothert



A petition to recall Mayor Jean Stothert was submitted by Jonathan Renteria, who also submitted a recall petition for Councilman Vinny Palermo. He says his reason is a "failure to repeal the restaurant tax, political opportunism in convening a faux charter convention reducing the number of charter convention members from 25 to 15, all while attempting to increase the cash reserve slush fund from 8% to 12%." He's demanded a public audit of the process. The mayor's office says she'll review the recall petition once official notification comes from the election commission.

[PWL73316]

Vinny Palermo absolutely should be recalled, he isn't effectively representing his district from jail, or soon, from prison. But trying to recall Stothert because you don't like the political decisions she's made always rubs me the wrong way (and I am not a Stothert supporter by any stretch).

[Coyote]

Efforts underway to recall three Omaha city officials



Three Omaha city officials are now facing potential recalls.

For more Local News from WOWT: https://www.wowt.com/

[ChadJK]

I must say, recall efforts are becoming a bit commonplace.

[Garrett]

Palermo is obviously understandable but the rest are a weird waste of time.

[Coyote]

As reelection decision looms, Stothert budget includes limited tax cut

As her reelection decision looms Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert’s new budget comes with a tax cut. In addition, as the city struggles to hire more police officers, the budget raises the pay for new hires from $51,000 to $71,000 a year, the highest in the state. NCN’s Joe Jordan goes further inside the numbers including just how much, or little, that tax cut will save Omaha homeowners. Mayor Jean Stothert is once again proposing to cut the city’s property tax rate, all part of the city’s 2024 $507 million budget, a nearly 7 percent increase (6.97%) over last year.

[Coyote]

Omaha Mayor Stothert to visit Ireland next week




Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert plans to visit Omaha's Ireland sister city beginning Monday.

[Coyote]

Omaha Mayor faces streetcar questions at town hall



Stothert, at her first public town hall of seven this October, looked straight into the headlights of streetcar plans.

She says the streetcar will be funded through TIF. That means taxing current and future businesses along the proposed route.

Stothert says a Baltimore firm estimates the streetcar will bring in more than $400 million. Stothert says they're on track, 30% of the way to it being up and running, with car designs due this December.

[Coyote]

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert holds first meeting of annual town hall series



OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Mayor Jean Stothert held the first meeting of her annual town hall series on Monday. Stothert addressed a handful of community members at Gifford Park Elementary School on a number of topics. She spoke to concerns of youth violence, the police officer shortage as well as development in north Omaha. The city council's decision to not pass the proposal of roundabouts on Farnam Street was also discussed.

[Renovator2559]

Its mind boggling how there's a few people in this meeting, saying that the streetcar is not needed and worthless.

So the mayor Jean Stotthert has to educate the opposition to the project in public...

[Coyote]

Omaha Mayor hosts third community town hall meeting



Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert invited the public to share their input at a community town hall meeting Thursday.

[Coyote]

Jean Stothert confident streetcar will bring more housing, new jobs to Omaha,
but will she still be mayor?



OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha's streetcar is anticipated to be up and running in the year 2027 — two years after the next mayoral election. So far, Mayor Jean Stothert hasn't said if she's running for reelection in 2025. “If I decide to run or not, it's not going to be based on the streetcar, or who else is running, or who my opponent can be. It will be a personal decision of mine, and I will make up my mind, and I will announce that after the first of the year," Stothert said.

[nebport5]

Did anyone else catch this from the State of The City Address:

"And, we are starting work on what may be called “The Tower District” in central downtown, with much more to be announced."


State of the City Address

[ita]

Did anyone else catch this from the State of The City Address:

"And, we are starting work on what may be called “The Tower District” in central downtown, with much more to be announced."


State of the City Address

Not to be confused with the tower district in Papillion.

I was just relistening to the speech because I wanted to see what exactly she said. Glad you posted it. I know she loves dropping hints, even on things that don't pan out, but to put that in this speech caught my interest. Hopefully, that means more high rises around MoO HQ. There not a lot of greenfield, so maybe that means the state building is eyed for redevelopment!

[jomaha9]

Did anyone else catch this from the State of The City Address:

"And, we are starting work on what may be called “The Tower District” in central downtown, with much more to be announced."


State of the City Address

Not to be confused with the tower district in Papillion.

I was just relistening to the speech because I wanted to see what exactly she said. Glad you posted it. I know she loves dropping hints, even on things that don't pan out, but to put that in this speech caught my interest. Hopefully, that means more high rises around MoO HQ. There not a lot of greenfield, so maybe that means the state building is eyed for redevelopment!

There are still quite a few greenfield sites still in the area. The old UP and civic lots still come to mind as well as some surface parking south of Farnam. I also would love to see the State Office building replaced with some height.

[Garrett]

Did anyone else catch this from the State of The City Address:

"And, we are starting work on what may be called “The Tower District” in central downtown, with much more to be announced."


State of the City Address

I was wondering if something like this was mentioned! Read a couple summaries but none that mentioned the Tower District blurb or new developments more broadly beyond under construction ones. Very exciting. Definitely think (or hope) this implies a couple different high rises, probably along the streetcar route given other whispers we’ve been getting.

[Garrett]

Looking at it, I guess we should have a rumors thread for this Tower District (12:58 in video above for those keeping track)

[cchandler790]

Did anyone else catch this from the State of The City Address:

"And, we are starting work on what may be called “The Tower District” in central downtown, with much more to be announced."


State of the City Address

It's a very neat project! Hope there are more high rises, I watched her state of the union and agree, she has done a lot for this city and she has my vote.

[nebport5]

Did anyone else catch this from the State of The City Address:

"And, we are starting work on what may be called “The Tower District” in central downtown, with much more to be announced."


State of the City Address

Not to be confused with the tower district in Papillion.

I was just relistening to the speech because I wanted to see what exactly she said. Glad you posted it. I know she loves dropping hints, even on things that don't pan out, but to put that in this speech caught my interest. Hopefully, that means more high rises around MoO HQ. There not a lot of greenfield, so maybe that means the state building is eyed for redevelopment!

Nor to be confused with Fresno's Tower District(there's only one tower).

Looking at it, I guess we should have a rumors thread for this Tower District (12:58 in video above for those keeping track)

Maybe a Tower District thread is a good idea. At this point we don't know if it'll be something that further scratches the perpetual itch of the H.O.C. However, from what we know of Jean, I'd bet it's something along those lines if only yet in intention. I think most here would hope that means forthcoming announcements but I can imagine also that it may not be anything more than the creation of a district that incentivizes "towers" beyond the usual tiff. But, yes, that in of itself would be exciting. Perhaps some cooperation on the state level too?

Did anyone else catch this from the State of The City Address:

"And, we are starting work on what may be called “The Tower District” in central downtown, with much more to be announced."


State of the City Address

Not to be confused with the tower district in Papillion.

I was just relistening to the speech because I wanted to see what exactly she said. Glad you posted it. I know she loves dropping hints, even on things that don't pan out, but to put that in this speech caught my interest. Hopefully, that means more high rises around MoO HQ. There not a lot of greenfield, so maybe that means the state building is eyed for redevelopment!

There are still quite a few greenfield sites still in the area. The old UP and civic lots still come to mind as well as some surface parking south of Farnam. I also would love to see the State Office building replaced with some height.

Of course, I'm sure we all agree the s.o.b. qualifies as extremely blighted! But would a "Tower District" accelerate replacing this eyesore? We might also assume such a district would include many of the open lots in the CBD(Old UP, perhaps 10th & Harney, etc). Another intriguing thought is if the area would include north of 480(Lot B, a future convention hotel, etc), the current police headquarters, and hopefully the floundering Civic Square.

[nativeomahan]

It was gratifying to see that all of the proposed bond issues on the November ballot, pushed in part by Mayor Stothert (and others) passed overwhelmingly.

[Greg S]

It was gratifying to see that all of the proposed bond issues on the November ballot, pushed in part by Mayor Stothert (and others) passed overwhelmingly.

Yes, I agree. And they passed by a wider margin than I thought they might.

[nebport5]

[bbinks]

I quit having anything to do with Becka when he started repeating the CNN talking points. Most of which were debunked.

[Stan]

Some interesting comments she makes in that video: She says Ewing says things that are a mile wide and an inch deep and then keeping her entire staff as a bad thing. I see that as a better transition to keep on people that helped run the city and then work on who fits and doesn't. Omaha has been doing well in the past decade and I'd rather Ewing take what Stothert did as a public servant and improve on things rather than start doing the opposite as a "screw you".

I get it, she can be bitter that she lost but move on. You're 71 and can just enjoy retirement.

She goes on to acknowledge that the streetcar hurt her reputation too, but talks about all the other things that have been built and approved when the population complains about it and then goes on to realize it's great.

It was apparently a PAC that sent out the LGBTQ+ flier before the election and not her group and currently she doesn't know who sent it out and that it wasn't Ricketts.

She talks about the St Louis rumor, but doesn't explain why she was reported to be in St Louis all the time. (I think Garrett said here that she was caring for her dying mother)

[nebugeater]

I quit having anything to do with Becka when he started repeating the CNN talking points. Most of which were debunked.

Years back, I don't remember Becka having the same opinion and spin he does now. Was I missing something or has taken on a major shift?

[nebport5]

I quit having anything to do with Becka when he started repeating the CNN talking points. Most of which were debunked.

Years back, I don't remember Becka having the same opinion and spin he does now. Was I missing something or has taken on a major shift?

What one is potentially missing here is his current show is not a political show. He makes a point to steer clear of politics as much as possible. He has on guests from all different walks of life and covers a wide variety of topics. I appreciate that he asks good, sometimes tough questions without being an a-hole.

I could give a rat’s arse how much is personal views may or may not line up with a particular network or propaganda machine vs another. There are so many popular, yet bad podcasts out there and Becka’s current show is well done and a nice departure from the norm.

[nebport5]

Some interesting comments she makes in that video: She says Ewing says things that are a mile wide and an inch deep and then keeping her entire staff as a bad thing. I see that as a better transition to keep on people that helped run the city and then work on who fits and doesn't. Omaha has been doing well in the past decade and I'd rather Ewing take what Stothert did as a public servant and improve on things rather than start doing the opposite as a "screw you".

She didn’t say it was a bad thing per se. She said it’s unusual and was drawing the comparison that if Ewing is so much better than what she's done, what’d he keep my whole staff?

I get it, she can be bitter that she lost but move on. You're 71 and can just enjoy retirement.

I thought she said just that…talking about looking forward to traveling and spending time with family.

She talks about the St Louis rumor, but doesn't explain why she was reported to be in St Louis all the time. (I think Garrett said here that she was caring for her dying mother)

I think she said enough and pointed out that often those social media posts showing her on a plane where old pics like one that was posted during one of the winter storms where she’s wearing a summer sun dress.

[Stan]

Some interesting comments she makes in that video: She says Ewing says things that are a mile wide and an inch deep and then keeping her entire staff as a bad thing. I see that as a better transition to keep on people that helped run the city and then work on who fits and doesn't. Omaha has been doing well in the past decade and I'd rather Ewing take what Stothert did as a public servant and improve on things rather than start doing the opposite as a "screw you".

She didn’t say it was a bad thing per se. She said it’s unusual and was drawing the comparison that if Ewing is so much better than what she's done, what’d he keep my whole staff?

She honestly said a lot of true things throughout that and maybe it was more of her coming to terms with what she already knew. People had fatigue on her as mayor and there really wasn't a whole lot she could have done about it. Republicans were mad about her spending on the streetcar and the new Mutual building, but she's absolutely right that other developments that have been completed are great for the city. You can be mad about the parks downtown, but they are better than what was there. You can be mad about Rosenblatt being tore down, but we could have lost the College World Series had they not built new. There's a lot of people that are stuck in the past or even the moment and forward thinking isn't a great ability of most people. History will definitely be more kind to her than the population as a whole.

[nebport5]

Some interesting comments she makes in that video: She says Ewing says things that are a mile wide and an inch deep and then keeping her entire staff as a bad thing. I see that as a better transition to keep on people that helped run the city and then work on who fits and doesn't. Omaha has been doing well in the past decade and I'd rather Ewing take what Stothert did as a public servant and improve on things rather than start doing the opposite as a "screw you".

She didn’t say it was a bad thing per se. She said it’s unusual and was drawing the comparison that if Ewing is so much better than what she's done, what’d he keep my whole staff?

She honestly said a lot of true things throughout that and maybe it was more of her coming to terms with what she already knew. People had fatigue on her as mayor and there really wasn't a whole lot she could have done about it. Republicans were mad about her spending on the streetcar and the new Mutual building, but she's absolutely right that other developments that have been completed are great for the city. You can be mad about the parks downtown, but they are better than what was there. You can be mad about Rosenblatt being tore down, but we could have lost the College World Series had they not built new. There's a lot of people that are stuck in the past or even the moment and forward thinking isn't a great ability of most people. History will definitely be more kind to her than the population as a whole.

Were they exclusively? I imagine some shared that perception but many of her pro-business supporters and developers are republicans. I think McDonnell riled up a lot of democratic voters on this issue. The majority of the McDonnell/stop the streetcar signs I saw were in midtown not West Omaha particularly.

And Yes, I think she’s right more about voter fatigue more than republican turnout.

[Stan]

Some interesting comments she makes in that video: She says Ewing says things that are a mile wide and an inch deep and then keeping her entire staff as a bad thing. I see that as a better transition to keep on people that helped run the city and then work on who fits and doesn't. Omaha has been doing well in the past decade and I'd rather Ewing take what Stothert did as a public servant and improve on things rather than start doing the opposite as a "screw you".

She didn’t say it was a bad thing per se. She said it’s unusual and was drawing the comparison that if Ewing is so much better than what she's done, what’d he keep my whole staff?

She honestly said a lot of true things throughout that and maybe it was more of her coming to terms with what she already knew. People had fatigue on her as mayor and there really wasn't a whole lot she could have done about it. Republicans were mad about her spending on the streetcar and the new Mutual building, but she's absolutely right that other developments that have been completed are great for the city. You can be mad about the parks downtown, but they are better than what was there. You can be mad about Rosenblatt being tore down, but we could have lost the College World Series had they not built new. There's a lot of people that are stuck in the past or even the moment and forward thinking isn't a great ability of most people. History will definitely be more kind to her than the population as a whole.

Were they exclusively? I imagine some shared that perception but many of her pro-business supporters and developers are republicans. I think McDonnell riled up a lot of democratic voters on this issue. The majority of the McDonnell/stop the streetcar signs I saw were in midtown not West Omaha particularly.

And Yes, I think she’s right more about voter fatigue more than republican turnout.

Definitely not, just anecdotal evidence when I see people on the cesspool of Nextdoor complaining about Democrat spending and Stotherts streetcar in as few sentences as possible. I think the same people were hoping for anyone but Stothert and would have preferred McDonnell, but stayed home and let Ewing get the W.

[Garrett]

A good interview! You can tell she’s still stung by the loss, but generally in good spirits about her tenure and accomplishments.

Good confirmation that Builders District is the other one working for a grocery store, and that they and Civic are targeting different brands

[nebport5]

A good interview! You can tell she’s still stung by the loss, but generally in good spirits about her tenure and accomplishments.

Good confirmation that Builders District is the other one working for a grocery store, and that they and Civic are targeting different brands

Yeah, which makes me think obviously Trader Joe’s at the B.D. (next to Creighton). I feel like Noddle moving down there and getting there spaces leased could be a factor with TJ’s finally committing.

Now, I think most would agree the Civic site is a long shot but fun to speculate on who they're targeting. Natural Grocer’s perhaps? or a new to the market brand is my guess.

[Garrett]

A good interview! You can tell she’s still stung by the loss, but generally in good spirits about her tenure and accomplishments.

Good confirmation that Builders District is the other one working for a grocery store, and that they and Civic are targeting different brands

Yeah, which makes me think obviously Trader Joe’s at the B.D. (next to Creighton). I feel like Noddle moving down there and getting there spaces leased could be a factor with TJ’s finally committing.

Now, I think most would agree the Civic site is a long shot but fun to speculate on who they're targeting. Natural Grocer’s perhaps? or a new to the market brand is my guess.

Whole Foods was supposed to be in town a some time ago looking for a second location right?

[nebport5]

A good interview! You can tell she’s still stung by the loss, but generally in good spirits about her tenure and accomplishments.

Good confirmation that Builders District is the other one working for a grocery store, and that they and Civic are targeting different brands

Yeah, which makes me think obviously Trader Joe’s at the B.D. (next to Creighton). I feel like Noddle moving down there and getting there spaces leased could be a factor with TJ’s finally committing.

Now, I think most would agree the Civic site is a long shot but fun to speculate on who they're targeting. Natural Grocer’s perhaps? or a new to the market brand is my guess.

Whole Foods was supposed to be in town a some time ago looking for a second location right?

Yeah, though I recall their criteria being more discriminating for site locations. I’d love that, but think a decent sized store would be unlikely. Now if they were to entertain one of their smaller concepts I think that’d have a better chance. Speaking of smaller concepts I still like something at one of the Duo spaces over the Civic. There’s already multiple adjacent residential on 16th and much more within 3-4 blocks. The Civic site is close to Creighton, Slate and The Wire as far as existing residential. I suppose a converted FNC would be a wash.

[Greg S]

Late to the party but that was a great interview to watch. She was pretty spot on about her election loss. Agreed with pretty much everything. One thing became appartent. Stothert vs McDonnell in the general election would have been quite the show. You got a small taste in this interview where she mentioned that he was incharge of the fire union and negotiated the horrific deal the fire union got from Fahey that allowed pension spiking (including mentioning he is getting $130k a year from it, not only negotiated the deal but then took great advantage of it). She then mentioned how once Suttle came in, he still allowed the fire department under McDonnell to continually go over budget.

I also agree with her that it was interesting that despite all the criticisms and calls for change from Ewing. He retained her full staff.......


Greg