Mayoral election in Omaha, Nebraska (2021)

You’ve made clear what’s important to you. We have learned so much after hundreds of neighborhood and community meetings, and our Town Hall listening meetings.

These issues will always be our focus. Here is some of what we’ve accomplished together, and where we are headed next.

COVID Response and Recovery
While our city has weathered the pandemic better than most, we still have much work to do. My 2021 Priority List for COVID Recovery provides a framework to get us there. The best part? Most of this work is already underway.

My 10-Point Pandemic Recovery 2021 Priorities

My priorities for COVID recovery include advocacy and support for vaccine distribution and an extended mask ordinance. As a former critical care nurse, I know how important the vaccine is and I look forward to getting the shots when it’s my turn. Additional priorities include support for job training and work transition efforts, as well as significant financial assistance for those with housing insecurity.

I will also continue working with the Mayor’s COVID Advisory Board, which has been operational since March 2020. This group of community leaders and health experts has provided pivotal guidance in decision-making and best practices for all of Omaha. Our 2021 priorities include youth services, small business support, mental health and health equity.

We have already used various funding sources for rent and mortgage assistance, food distribution, mental health services and emergency shelter for people impacted by COVID. We will continue aligning resources with needs as we move into the closing stages of the pandemic. You can read and print copies of the checklist HERE.

What we’ve done so far

We activated our COVID Advisory Board in March 2020. Since then, we’ve worked closely with the Douglas County Health Department, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and many other local partners and leaders to make the best decisions for the safety and well-being of our residents and community.

From March until now, I’ve held over 25 news conferences with Douglas County Health Director Adi Pour to keep you informed about how COVID was impacting our community and steps we must all take to keep our community as safe as possible.

Our unemployment rate has dropped below 3.5% after jumping to over 9% last summer, but too many people are now underemployed or working multiple jobs to make ends meet. In 2021 and beyond, we will continue expanding support for job training programs and work transition efforts.

We know our restaurants and small businesses have been seriously damaged by the pandemic, and to provide some relief, we waived all late fees on the city restaurant tax from March through December, 2020. I was delighted when we were able to provide a gift to the Food Bank of over $105,000, money from swimming pool admission fees, made possible by private donor support.

Safer Neighborhoods and More Confidence in Public Safety
No issue is more important than the safety and security of everyone who calls Omaha home. The majority of our city general fund budget is dedicated to public safety, namely the police and fire departments.

Public Safety Budget Allocation

Percent of Omaha General Fund Budget Dedicated to Public Safety:

Omaha Police Department - 36.7%

Omaha Fire Department - 26.4%

Total - 63.1

Increasing Safety

One of our initial goals was to add nearly 100 new police officers for a total of 902 budgeted officers. We have now met this important milestone and we’ve done it without increasing the city property tax rate.

We built and staffed a new police precinct in Elkhorn to improve response times and provide better service citywide. Our department leadership has worked hard to build community trust by working with neighborhood and volunteer groups. These partners are critical to our work in reducing crime and supporting our youth.

Together, We’ve Made Great Progress

• More highly trained police officers are on the job now than ever before
• Annual crime numbers for the most serious crimes (Part 1 offenses) are the lowest in a * decade, even as our city has grown.
• More crimes are being solved now than in the past.
• Police response times for 911 calls have improved and are now better than we’ve seen in over 10 years.
• Officer-involved shootings are the lowest on record

Going forward, our goal is to make a very good police department even better.

How We Will Increase Safety

• Further reducing the incidence of crime, especially violent crime,
• Expanding the department’s mental health co-responder program so more resources are directed at mental illness and its impact on illegal behavior.
• Providing the best equipment possible, like body-worn cameras, so officers can do their job effectively and with greater transparency,
• Hiring a more diverse police force,
• Building stronger community/officer relationships, and,
• Providing citizens a better way to voice issues regarding law enforcement conduct.

In addition to Omaha’s 902 sworn police officers, our city has 663 committed employees in the fire department. These men and women dedicate themselves to public safety through lifesaving responsibilities like firefighting, training, education, and ambulance and emergency services.

Doubling Road Repair Work for Safer Driving and a Better City
Omaha’s decades-long frustration with potholes and rough roads, especially each spring when the freeze/thaw cycle damages roads quickly, required a bold initiative and the leadership to get it enacted.

Road Map to Better Streets

Voter approval of our “Road Map to Better Streets” plan in 2020 has provided funds for the start of new and significant road repair work that will continue for many years to come.

We had to move away from temporary road patching and commit to a long-term, comprehensive plan to dedicate more resources to finally fix the roads we all drive on each day.

Our plan was developed after extensive public input and community meetings. We knew Omaha taxpayers had to be partners in the solution from day one.

Working together, we proposed one of the most significant financial and community improvement initiatives in history. Omaha voters overwhelmingly approved our new roads program and a future levy increase to pay for it.

Our Focus for the Years Ahead

Here is what we are focused on in the years ahead:

• Managing city finances well so we can postpone the voter-approved levy increase for street repair as long as possible,
• Doubling the amount of road repair work done in Omaha each and every year,
• Requiring reliable and competitive bids so more road repairs and resurfacing can be accomplished with the funding available,
• Providing $6 million in new funding each year to address Omaha’s “unimproved streets”. These are streets that were not initially built to current city standards by subdivision developers,
• Eliminating government regulations that slow down road repair projects, and,
• Ensuring faster approvals and more funding for unimproved street repairs in high poverty areas.

All of the long overdue work on our roads will require our patience and it will take some time to feel like we are really catching up.

This new program will require daily management and oversight to get the work done right. I am proud to have proposed this successful initiative and I would be even more proud to manage it for Omaha for the next four years!

Job Growth & Economic Development
While most of the economic news focuses on the many large and important development projects currently underway in our city, I am just as excited about the small businesses that are hiring, relocating, and growing right here in Omaha.

Omaha Ranked #5 in the Country

A recent study ranked Omaha #5 in the country in their report “Best Cities for Young Professionals”. The work ethic, low unemployment, cost of living, exciting downtown, professional growth opportunities, and recreational and entertainment options in Omaha are hard to beat.

Welcoming Small Businesses

One of the best parts of being mayor is welcoming small businesses as they take on new employees, expand their business, or build an addition. Supporting entrepreneurs and witnessing their passion to compete in our free enterprise system is very exciting!

Workforce Bouncing Back After the Pandemic

Omaha has bounced back faster than most after a rough start nationally due to the pandemic. Employment and building projects have restarted quickly and I know 2021 will be a great year for our Omaha workforce.

How We Will Support Job Growth

Our work to support job growth and development will include:

• Providing high quality support and services to the many individuals and companies we work with, from issuing building permits to providing inspection services. In 2019 alone we issued building permits exceeding $1 billion in value,
• Meeting the commitments we have made to the many large scale construction projects that are underway in every part of our city. These include the redevelopment of Crossroads, the Blackstone District in midtown, the 500-acre Heartwood Preserve project west and south of 144th and West Dodge Road, Avenue One at 192nd and West Dodge Road, Millwork Commons, the Builder’s District, and Capitol District projects in our downtown core.
• Expanding support for job training programs and work transition efforts led by many of our local non-profit organizations.
• Promoting our business incentives, reducing government barriers and regulations that stifle business growth, and helping our business organizations recruit business and talent to Omaha, and,
• Enhancing the appeal of Omaha to young professionals who want an exciting urban setting that offers entertainment, retail services, social and recreation spaces, and low-cost transit options.

Tax Less and Manage the Money

My commitment to providing high quality city services to taxpayers – while keeping taxes as low as possible – is clear.

Keeping the City Property Tax Rate as Low as Possible

There are two primary sources of city revenue, the city sales tax and the city’s portion of the local property tax.

The sales tax rate remains unchanged since I first became mayor and we have lowered the city property tax rate twice. While the city portion of your property tax is smaller than some other taxing entities (and some of them have increased their rates) we are doing all we can to run Omaha efficiently and keep rates at the lowest possible level.

We’ve grown the economy, expanded city boundaries, added to critical efforts like public safety, and started transportation initiatives and park improvements, all while experiencing minimal growth in the city budget and reducing the tax rate twice. That’s a record I’m proud of!

My Commitment for the Next Four Years

My commitment to you for the next four years includes:

• Preparing every city budget with transparency,
• Adhering to and exceeding the best financial practices for government entities,
• Reducing expenses when certain city functions can be merged, reduced, or eliminated.
• Keeping all tax rates as low as possible while still providing the responsive services you expect, and,
• Delaying, until absolutely required, the voter-approved levy change that is allowing our city to double road repairs every year.

The Omaha Image – A More Welcoming City
Over the last twenty years, Omaha has established a national reputation that should make us all proud. I know I am!

The reputation we have all worked hard to earn was built on the rich history and tradition of the hardworking and dedicated people before us. Over decades, these individuals and families laid the foundation for a great and growing city and they have earned our respect and thanks.

A More Engaging City

Today, Omaha is a more engaging city with an even brighter future. We are a leader in business, medical services, transportation, finance, insurance and amateur athletics.

I love meeting people who have just moved to Omaha and those individuals and families who have moved back after once leaving. Their impressions of Omaha are so positive and encouraging. We have all worked hard to make Omaha the best it can be.

My Focus for Growth

In the coming years, I’ll work hard with you to advance our growth and positive image. Here is what I believe we need to focus on:

• Becoming an even more welcoming city for all people and all lifestyles. Our younger workforce is especially focused on a more inclusive and open city that welcomes everyone, and where everyone feels at home.
• Translating our enormous success as a host city for sporting events, especially amateur athletics, into the #1 city in the country for our level of community support, well-managed events and happy teams and fans.
• Encouraging development in all areas of our city to expand employment, housing, and retail services in economically challenged areas of Omaha and in our many historically unique neighborhoods,
• Promoting Omaha’s special talents in business sectors where we excel, like our quickly growing reputation as a leader in technology.
• Hosting more regional and national conventions and events, an especially important goal as more travel is booked in 2021 after a pandemic-impacted 2020,
• Expanding entertainment and recreational opportunities, especially in our downtown. One of the projects underway is “The RiverFront” which will completely rebuild Gene Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park and Lewis & Clark Landing, and now includes an impressive new science museum. Including the new science museum, this $400 million project – of which 90% is funded by private donations – will forever change our city. It will be our St. Louis Arch; our Chicago Millennium Park. It will start to open in 2022 and I can’t wait!

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RJ's Pathway to the Future
Omaha needs a leader with vision. A leader that looks to the future and prepares our great city for the next generation. I believe that I am that leader, and I ask for your support.

Under my leadership, I will make Omaha a city of the future. I will correct the city services, and make sure that we get the basics done right. I will improve our processes and bring new programs and initiatives that provide Omahans with the changes that they want to see in our city.

My Pathway to the Future will serve as what you can expect from me as the next mayor of Omaha. My Pathway includes my plans, my commitments and my promises for the future of Omaha.

My Pathway to the Future includes plans for:

COVID Reset Plan
The Coronavirus pandemic demonstrated even more clearly the direct relationship between economic and public health in Omaha.

Just over half of Americans polled in September 2020 by the Pew Research Center reported that they expect their lives will still be changed in major ways after the pandemic.

We need a plan that includes future stimulus packages and funding and we need Greater Omaha Chamber and city-led partnerships between Omaha financial institutions and small business owners. This targeted reset plan does just that and will ensure that Omaha’s economy bounces back faster, stronger, fairer, and healthier.

As mayor I will:

• Appoint a pandemic czar who will provide key metrics for Omaha’s COVID recovery and coordinate with UNMC, federal government, public health officials, academic institutions, employers, and other key stakeholders to provide all Omahan’s with access to resources for COVID-19 recovery

• Reallocate 5% of the restaurant tax into the Omaha Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote Omaha attractions for 2 years up to $4,000,000.00

• Advocate from the mayor's office for any and all future stimulus funding to include cities of Omaha's size to the direct city funding criteria, and allocate the funds properly to local businesses and toward rent and utility relief programs

• Develop a small business recovery task force that will build a city-led partnership between Greater Omaha Chamber, Omaha financial institutions, and Omaha's commercial property landlords that will support the growth of local restaurants, start-ups theaters, mom and pop shops, etc., are not left behind and are able to thrive in 2021 and beyond

Climate and Sustainability Plan
Addressing the changing climate should be a priority for Omaha. The United Nations estimates that nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050. It is imperative that we leave Omaha and all our cities better for the next generation. A healthier community and a city working toward a sustainable future will also help retain and attract young families and young workers.

As mayor I will:

• Implement a Climate Action Plan for Omaha in my first 12 months

• Appoint a Sustainability Officer to my cabinet

• Become a member of Climate Mayors - a bipartisan network of mayors showing climate leadership

• Join OPPD’s net-zero carbon goal for electricity generation and work with them to set goals for carbon reduction, responsible growth, and waste reduction by 2050

• Build a more sustainable transportation system and decrease the city's wasteful consumption

• Increase commercial recycling and access to recycling in all areas of the city, and increase the types of materials accepted

Equity Plan
Omaha is a great city but it struggles with racial inequity. Racial inequities have been embedded in housing and the economy long before COVID-19, although COVID has made the situation even more challenging. Redlining, racialized zoning, segregation, predatory lending and exclusions in federal programs are examples of public policies that have produced the racial disparities that permeate housing and economic policy today. Omaha can do better and I am committed to meaningful racial equity as your next mayor.

As mayor I will:

• Develop a 4 year plan to expand and correct city services so that they are equitable and accessible to all parts of Omaha

• Elevate the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Manager to a cabinet-level position: This will ensure all major decisions are made through the lens of equity and will help build a more diverse City Hall that reflects all of Omaha. Produce a report card on the city’s progress toward equity

• Directly address the impact of redlining in communities of color through targeted housing programs and incentives that provide a pathway to homeownership and rebuilds our struggling neighborhoods

• Commit to hosting bi-monthly “Community Conversations” throughout the city where the community can voice their concerns to the mayor

• Work to remedy inequities in public health through partnerships with Douglas County Health Department, UNMC, OneWorld, Charles Drew and others

Talent Retention Plan
The City of Omaha is a great place to live and to raise a family, with numerous amenities and a good quality of life. However, over the past eight years, Omaha has struggled to attract and retain young people, especially young professionals. While many mid-size cities have successfully drawn talent from bigger coastal cities, under the current mayor Omaha has unfortunately not kept pace with places like Milwaukee, Cleveland, or even Kansas City in the competition for the next generation. I am committed to reversing brain drain and will work tirelessly to improve our city so that it attracts and retains new talent.

As mayor I will:

• Offer grants of $5-10,000 to young individuals who relocate to Omaha from cities like Chicago, New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles

• Empower and appoint younger people to boards that will shape the future of Omaha

• Invest in and promote multi-modal transportation, creative neighborhoods and opportunities for younger developers, businesses and creatives.

• Improve coordination with relevant players (business, academic, medicine, entrepreneur, tech) benefitting from the presence of talent in Omaha

• Identify and support key driving sectors for retaining/attracting talent, and report on metrics

• Mitigate/remove structural impediments/barriers to attracting talent

• Integrate these efforts with Cabinet-level Equity Officer to ensure growth of young professionals of color and LGBTQIA professionals in Omaha

Public Safey Plan
To create a city that is safe for everyone, we must have a focus on the root causes of crime and violence and provide community-based public health and youth development programs.

To rebuild the trust of all communities in our Police Department, we must have an open dialogue between our communities and our Police as well as reform and accountability. Omaha’s fire department needs to be fully staffed and needs the necessary equipment to keep response times low and provide the best care and protection during emergencies. And our police officers need additional training and resources to do their job most effectively.

As mayor I will:

• Increase evidence-based de-escalation and anti-bias training and incorporate it into the policy academy education

• Roll out a crisis intervention program that will send social services unit to assist emergency responders for non-violent 911 calls ​

• Increase support for P.A.C.E. programs and other community-building projects in Omaha

• Invest in trauma-based crime prevention resources for Omaha youth

City Services & Roads Plan
City services from trash pickup to snow removal to sidewalk repair should be distributed across Omaha equitably. You should always count on your trash getting picked up and your snow being removed effectively and efficiently.

The streets crisis has cost the city hundreds of millions of dollars, and an Omaha-World Herald analysis revealed more needs to be done. Only 125 miles of streets are resurfaced every year according to the OWH, half of what is needed. In 2015 the World Herald reported that roads were worsening. I will enforce more equitable cost-sharing solutions that are innovative, and does not increase tax burdens of the citizens of Omaha and fixes our streets for good.

As mayor I will:

• Build better streets by implementing cost-friendly solutions to fixing deteriorating roads that use sustainable and long lasting concrete to build better streets

• Increase traffic flow and critical infrastructure by reorienting the overall budget to divert wasteful spending into innovative technology

• Increase the number of recycling centers across Omaha

• Initiate a 4 year plan to repair and fill in gaps of sidewalks on a consistent basis to improve city walkability and to minimize the Omahans walking in streets

• Ensure city services are distributed equitably across Omaha

• Employ best available technology for snow removal to minimize disruption for businesses, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles

• Ensure that sustainability best practices are incorporated into all major roads projects moving forward

Neighborhoods
As Mayor I will:

• Create 1,600 additional affordable housing units in the first 4 years

• Empower neighborhood associations, for example changing the $250,000 neighborhood snow-watching contracts from engineers to One Omaha

• Initiate innovative city-led programs that provide incentives and second mortgages to spark interest in neighborhoods that need it and create homeownership opportunities

• Provision more available and entitled sites for workforce housing units

• Revitalize targeted communities with HILC (High Impact Low Cost) projects every year

• Create a partnership with Omaha Realtors for an initiative that will flag and provide attention to houses that are eligible for renovation and city-support

• Provide support to current programs that renovate existing housing stocks in order to keep elderly and low-income homeowners in their homes^[50]