Monday, June 08, 2009

Omaha Bankrupt?


Bankruptcy for Omaha.

That's the message Jim Suttle sent out on the eve of his taking office. On the week of the Omaha's nationwide event.

How's this for an ESPN opener:
"Here we are LIVE at Johnny Rosenblatt stadium, in Omaha, where the new Mayor says they may go bankrupt if they don't raise taxes."
Omaha! Rare, Well Done and Cooked!

This is what you get (and will be getting) from the new ambassador for Omaha. Not that Omaha is a thriving city on the move. Not that it has a new ballpark, new buildings and a growing economy in a state that will weather the recession.

Nope. A message about bankruptcy.

Welcome to your new Mayor.

***
Senator Ben Nelson to KOLN, regarding the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor:
"Some people are quite troubled by some of her comments."
And by "some people" he means...? Heck , Rush Limbaugh is likely going to endorse her (though for his own reasons).

Nelson says he's going to quiz the judge when she stops by his office.
"I'm going to ask her the context -- what did she mean when she said some of those things."
And that's fine and all, but her "Wise Latina" speech can be read in full. It wasn't an off-the-cuff statement. The "Wise Latina" concept was the basis for the speech.

Anyway...
"My belief is that if she has a very sound hearing before the judiciary committee she'll get approved."
How he defines "sound hearing" will make the difference. (But can HE make a difference...)

(By the way, unless there was any question, he is also against a "Single Payer" health care plan.)

***

Don Walton notes a new Facebook page (and who knew Don trolled Facebook?):

"Nebraska Needs Kim Robak for U.S. Congress 2010"

Not exactly a catchy title, but you get the point.

1D Congressman Jeff Fortenberry is no stranger to taking on former female Lt. Governors (see Moul, Maxine). Of course, to be frank, if you were going to run one of these former Lt. Governors, who would you go with?

OK, thanks. (Then again, looks was 90% of the pitch for Scott Kleeb as well...)

We'll see where this goes.

65 comments:

Anonymous said...

a pro-abortion lobbyist running for congress, interesting!!!

Anonymous said...

First!! I need a new job before I go bankrupt...

First!! said...

darn...

From The Bleachers said...

I am wearing my black armband today as the city changes leadership. I will take it off tomorrow, because I want the city to move forward.

Hopefully we can move back to the days when corporate Omaha governed the city and not the mayor..at least for the next four years (or shorter with a re-call).

Driving Force said...

If you want to reduce the dropout rate have Jean Stothert be mayor and dissolve OPS. She actually did something in that regard.

3rd floor watcher said...

Kids running the show?

(from omaha.com)

Dave Sund, policy analyst: Sund, 24, has a bachelors degree in political science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He will focus on policy goals and work with grant staff to secure funding for projects, Gerard said.

David Dover, policy advisor: Dover, 26, has a bachelors degree in political science from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and is currently working on a master’s degree in public administration. Dover will advise on administration policy.

Were these guys ever employed??? Did Dave Sund ever write a significant grant? David Dover does not even have a master in public administration yet he is advising the city on administration???

Does anybody know who these kids are???

Anonymous said...

we are broke because of mike fahey and those who helped him get the new stadium.

everyone who supported the downtown stadium must take full blame for our town being broke.

No more lobbyist lawyers said...

Kim Robak and her husband are lobbyists and make hundreds of thousands of dollars for and from special interest groups - is that who Nebraska would want representing them in Congress - another special interest lobbyist lawyer?

Public Administrator said...

So we are having kids barely out of college running this city???? Besides being members of the UNO Student Democrats what are their qualifications? I can't wait for Me. Dover to show up at a meeting and say "in class last night the Professor said we should do this." The real point is no person with any credentials or experience wants to work for Jim Suttle. I'm waiting for Steve Jensen to resign and have Suttle hire a kid out of UNL's architecture school.

macdaddy said...

Isn't Don a little old for Facebook?

I'm a little surprised at the lack of finger pointing by Suttle. I thought the MO of Dems was to blame your predecessor for every problem even if you were part of the governing body and should have been doing something about those problems. That's quite refreshing of Suttle.

Ricky said...

Bankruptcy, now there is a drastic step.
I am holding out hope that Mr Suttle can actually govern, and I hold that hope even if he has not been an executive previously.
Give him a chance. Prop tax increases have not happened in 7 years. A prop tax increase will heal a lot of the issues facing Omaha.

ricky from omaha

Nate said...

Rather pathetic attempt to smear Jim Suttle actually. He had just gotten done with a City Council meeting, he wasn't on the stage at Rosenblatt barking into a microphone. He is about to take office and there are some serious issues that need to be dealt with, he chose an appropriate time and place to talk about these issues, end of story. Your trying to make something out of nothing, and your reaching really really really hard for that angle. Im sure Suttle will say some baseball appropriate things when he is in the proper place and time, NOT a city council meeting.

Street Sweeper said...

Nate,
Thank you (unknowingly) for making my point.

Suttle is the Mayor at ALL times. Unless he is speaking alone to his dog, it's a public statement for all to hear.

Oh, and HE's the one who started talking about bankruptcy. Not us.

(And if I know Suttle, when he's addressing baseball, he'll make some remarks about the World Cup, then fire Jack Payne.)

A lobbyist said...

Nothing wrong with being a lobbyist. It's a darned good job.

Nate said...

So by your logic we are supposed to talk about nothing but baseball for the next two weeks. No union negotiations, no budget shortfalls, no financial requirements, no garbage fees, no sales tax increase, no property tax increase. The next two weeks nothing but baseball.

BTW, how many out of towners are going to pick up the OWH and read about our new mayor and the city budget shortfall? Will any of them care? Im putting the over/under at 17.

Suttle is mayor at all times, except during the CWS he is a baseball mayor and ONLY a baseball mayor.

Street Sweeper said...

Nate,

Hmmm. Where to go with this.

Uh, no Nate, it's not about baseball. It's about sending out a positive message about the city at a time when it's needed. About talking about proactive plans that show how the city is going to rebound in a tough economy.

It's NOT about saying, "Well. We're all f***ed. Oh , unless you agree to raise taxes."

And for gawds sake, don't use the word bankruptcy.

Anonymous said...

Public Administrator:

isnt a requirement to be at Creighton University

or Nebraska Christian College or UNO to be

a registered democrat

cause I never hear of conservatives or republicans ever graduating from those schools

Anonymous said...

I still have a crush on Kim Robak. What a babe. I'd vote for her!

Anonymous said...

Good news, my cousin just passed his 7th grade Math quiz in summer school. Guess that means he will be hired next week as financial policy advisor to Mayor Suttle.

Anonymous said...

First warn your cousin that it may not be safe for young teen boys to be working in this administration.

The final countdown said...

T-Minus 6 months and counting!

Anonymous said...

So did Suttle strong-arm the council so that he could hand-pick the Pres and VP of his choice?

Anonymous said...

"My long term is goal is to seek tax reform in this state. We have a statewide tax policy that was created more than 50 years ago, and is not efficient in todays economy, particularly when we face this kind of a recession-depression.

Over the years, the state has enacted a number of exemptions, with sound principals, but collectively they no longer work in the bigger global picture. And they're not going to provide that infrastructure and the basic services that we need, particularly at the local government level, where we are your leaders today.

We need a fair and equitable tax policy that's going to take us to the future, not keep us in the past."
~ Inaugural Mayoral Speech

Hey Nate....do you think it's alright to start smearing him now? Cuz you know he's going to try to get the 5 surrounding counties to pay for everything in Omaha..just like he proposed at that Rosenblatt speech. Hm, I wonder....

Also, I bet the state senators and Governor are chomping on the bit to work with Suttle to change the tax structure so Omaha can gain more money

Anonymous said...

Funny. The city council basically told Suttle he could dictate all he wanted but they were going to do what they thought was best when they elected Gernant and Thompson last night.

The votes should have been 4-3 but the council saw the writting on the wall and went 6-1 for President and 7-0 for vice-President.

These guys (and gal) are going to try and work together but not have Suttle slam things down their necks.

Council predictions:
Most Partisan (and ineffective) = Jerram
Most effective = Stothert
Most power = Gray

The Governor said...

I'm glad we elected Jim Suttle to run our state and change its tax policy. This guy is really focused on the job at hand.

Anonymous said...

I thought that was a picture of Deb Suttle and not Maxine Moul....my mistake

Anonymous said...

Yup...Fahey runs the city into the ground by giving special favors to the police and fire unions, not doing a ballpark deal the right way, pushing off debt and mandated projects - begging from peter to pay paul - and it's all the state's fault.

So, that's his plan. Change state law in order to pillage surrounding counties to pay for Fahey's mistakes.

I'm going to step out on a limb here and say the legislator and Governor are not going to buy into this.

Buh bye Senior Suttle.

"Plan the work...work the plan." The plan doesn't fly, now what?

macdaddy said...

Hey, The Governor: Suttle's coming after your job next. This guy is on a roll. Next election, Governor of Nebraska. After that, President of the United States. The sky's the limit for Jim Suttle!

Nate said...

So in order to send out a positive message about the city we must at all times, even in city council sessions (when its appropriate to talk about city business), ignore and not talk about the budget problems we are having. I agree that a postive message needs to be sent out, but out of towners aren't going to give a rats ass what is said at a city council meeting. Your child like logic is flawed "lets ignore the problem and eventually it'll go away or fix itself".

Street Sweeper said...

If Mayor Suttle really did feel the need to warn the council of impending bankruptcy he could have 1) done it in his or their office or 2) done it after the CWS.

But he's only been in City Hall for four years. Why should we expect him to have any sense of timing.

PoolsideinWV said...

Dave Sund and David Dover are as qualified as anyone to be "policy aides" to Mayor Suttle. Let us all think back to FEMA Director Michael Brown. "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." At least Sund and Dover won't be running the Police and Fire Departments.

Anonymous said...

Question--if Suttle were recalled, who then becomes Mayor--what is the process?

Nate said...

"If Mayor Suttle really did feel the need to warn the council of impending bankruptcy he could have 1) done it in his or their office or 2) done it after the CWS."
Your your advocating ignoring city business until after the CWS.

Wow.

You are so truly blinded by either idiocracy or hatred that you cant pass up any chance to denegrate Suttle (or dems) despite the fact that your argument has no leg to stand on. Once again, decreed by SS himself, there will be no discussing of city business until the CWS is over. I expect you to hold yourself to that same standard.

Nate said...

BTW, what happened to advocating transparency? Now your advocating for Suttle to conduct the business alone behind closed doors. "1) done it in his or their office"

A little consistency please.

Street Sweeper said...

Nate,

It's too bad your simple reading can't take in the complexity of loaded terms.

And tell you what, appoint me Mayor and I'll be happy to sell Omaha in the best light during it's top marketing weeks of the year.

Btw, the only thing we hate here on L. St. are idiotic comments. But you know, love the sinner, but hate the sin, and all that.

SS

Nate said...

I see you've given up trying to defend yourself and now just ramble on and on....

4.0 UNL Grad Student said...

I'm home for the summer and I'm glad Omaha is becomming progressive at last. Mr. Suttle is a wonderful leader and will make those Omaha fatcats pay. Go get'em JIM!!!

3.1 UNO student said...

OMG he's back!!!! 4.0 is done having his brain filled with Socialist commentary at UNL. So Hugo Chavez is now required reading at UNL this year 4.0???

Anonymous said...

So 4.0, you're in college right? What do you hope to do with yourself after you graduate? Do you hope to become successful someday? Or would that be bad because it might make you a "fatcat" and all?

macdaddy said...

UNL 4.0 grad: I sure hope that you were being sarcastic because of the proposals that Suttle has to work with to increase revenue, none of them will make the "fatcats" pay. Poor people have to pay for garbage pick-up. Poor people own houses. Poor people will have to pay sales tax. The other point I have to make is that the "fatcats" of Omaha are rather generous with their money and have allowed Omahans to enjoy cultural amenities that are of a higher quality than a town of this size should be able to enjoy.

Anonymous said...

Nate. Sweep. Nate. Sweep. Nate. Sweep. Nate. Sleep. Yeeeeawwwn.
How bout those Huskers?

Anonymous said...

Did anyone see the end to the Bachelorette last night? I think one guy got sent home for bagging on Suttle nonstop.

Anonymous said...

4.0, make sure you don't use your degree to make any money, else you be a fatcat. As it is, you are already a fathead.

Anonymous said...

It's always nice to read when you
can't think of a good position to discuss, you simply namecall a person "fathead" as a clear indication of high intellectual pursuit.

Anonymous said...

Suttle is manhandling the Council just bit...

Anonymous said...

He is certainly going to try.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of Omaha, anybody see the new Omaha.com today -- and not puke? Looks like somebody went to the JC Penney school of web design. Can't tell the ads from the news articles -- even with each article mentioned four times on the page!

Anonymous said...

Suttle demanded a Democrat Council President AND Vice-President.
LOSS

Now this LOSS today:
"The council’s decision on Tuesday came despite a request from new Mayor Jim Suttle to override the veto. In his first appearance before the council as mayor, Suttle asked the council to override the veto so that the city could work on developing a new program to help small businesses land city contracts."

Pretty much 0 fer two, one day in.

Anonymous said...

could be worse as being our mayor:

we could have terry kroeger or maggie o'brien of the omaha world herald

instead of suttle

Anonymous said...

I would take either of them in a heartbeat! I bet neither of them would make as many bad choices as Mayor Suttle has. Would they name an alleged pedophile as a "co-Chief of Staff"? BTW, how come Samp's replacement was not given the title of "Co-COS"? Was she not willing to work as hard as Samp? Is it because she is a woman? Come on Suttle, tell us what you where thinking when refusing a, presumably, equally qualified woman the same title that you were willing to give a loser like Samp?

The women and children of Omaha want to know, what in God's name were you thinking?

Anonymous said...

"Auntie Em, Auntie Em! I want Auntie Em!"

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore."

I wish I could find my ruby slippers. Then I could make this whole nightmare go away!

Omaha Guy said...

Manhandling the council is better than boyhandling...Agreed!

Anonymous said...

Graduate degrees prevent fatheadedness?

You are in for a rude awakening.

Anonymous said...

The OWH online still sucks! Still no Letters to the Editor online, PATHETIC!

The Final Countdown said...

T-Minus 5 months and 28 days

Anonymous said...

Final Countdown or others: If Suttle is recalled, who then becomes Mayor? What is the process for filling the vacancy?

macdaddy said...

So Omaha is bankrupt and Omaha is spending over $15,000 a year on an SUV from a company that won't exist after next week. How do you pay over $1200 a month for a Dodge Durango? On a lease! If Omaha even caves into a car salesman, imagine what they'll do to some people who carry guns for a living. You people are in trouble.

Anonymous said...

If the Mayor is recalled, resigns or is even out of town for a while...its the president of the City Council who either becomes acting Mayor during the out of town thing, or Mayor otherwise

3rd floorwatcher said...

When a vacancy occurs in the office of Mayor for any reason provided by this Charter or by law, it shall be the duty of the City Attorney to provide written notification of such vacancy to the City Clerk.
Upon written notification to the City Clerk by the City Attorney or, in the event of a recall, by the Election Commissioner, of the existence of a vacancy in the office of Mayor, the Council President, or in the President's absence the Vice President, shall serve as Acting Mayor until either an Interim or a new Mayor is elected pursuant to the procedures hereinbelow specified.
(1) If the vacancy occurs in the first two years of the Mayor's term, then the following procedure shall apply:
(a) Not later than 30 days following notification of such vacancy, the Council shall by majority vote elect an Interim Mayor who will serve as Mayor until a new Mayor is elected by the people as hereinbelow specified. The Council may elect the Interim Mayor from among its members or from among the electors of the city having the qualifications for office. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Charter to the contrary, any Councilmember elected as Interim Mayor may continue as a member of the Council during such time period.
(b) In the event a national, state or county election will occur in Douglas County, Nebraska, within 150 days but not less than 90 days of the date of written notification of the vacancy to the City Clerk by the City Attorney, a new Mayor shall be elected at such election.
(c) In the event no such election will occur in such a period, a special election shall be held to elect a new Mayor. The Council shall designate a date not less than 90 days nor more than 150 days from the date of notification of vacancy, to the extent permitted by state law, for such special election.
(d) Any person desiring to become a candidate for the office of Mayor shall, file with the officer in charge of elections a statement of candidacy as required by law and a request that such candidate's name be printed on the ballot. The person filing shall at the same time file a petition signed by at least one thousand electors of the city and shall pay to the City Treasurer, to aid in the expense of holding the election, a filing fee of $100.00, the receipt for which shall be filed with the officer in charge of elections.
(e) The ballot shall be prepared in substantially the same form and the names rotated as set forth in Section 8.01. The person receiving more than fifty percent of the votes cast in such election for Mayor shall be elected to that office for the remainder of the unexpired term. In the event no person receives more than fifty percent of the votes cast in such election for Mayor, the two candidates for Mayor receiving the highest number of votes on such ballot shall be the candidates and the only candidates whose names shall be printed on the official ballot for Mayor at a regular or special election held on a date designated by the Council, which shall be not less than 21 days nor more than 45 days thereafter, unless prohibited by state law. The person receiving the higher number of votes for Mayor shall be elected to that office for the remainder of the unexpired term. In all other respects, the election law of the state shall apply so far as the same is applicable and not inconsistent with the provisions of this section and Section 8.01.
(f) A Councilmember elected to be the new Mayor shall not continue as a member of the Council.

INTHEKNOW said...

Section 32-1308
Recall election; results; effect; vacancies; how filled.

(1) If a majority of the votes cast at a recall election are against the removal of the official named on the ballot or the election results in a tie, the official shall continue in office for the remainder of his or her term but may be subject to further recall attempts as provided in section 32-1309.

(2) If a majority of the votes cast at a recall election are for the removal of the official named on the ballot, he or she shall, regardless of any technical defects in the recall petition, be deemed removed from office unless a recount is ordered. If the official is deemed removed, the removal shall result in a vacancy in the office which shall be filled as provided in this section and sections 32-567 to 32-570.

(3) If the election results show a margin of votes equal to one percent or less between the removal or retention of the official in question, the Secretary of State, election commissioner, or county clerk shall order a recount of the votes cast unless the official named on the ballot files a written statement with the filing clerk that he or she does not want a recount.

(4) If there are vacancies in the offices of a majority or more of the members of any governing body at one time due to the recall of such members, a special election to fill such vacancies shall be conducted as expeditiously as possible by the Secretary of State, election commissioner, or county clerk.

(5) No official who is removed at a recall election or who resigns after the initiation of the recall process shall be appointed to fill the vacancy resulting from his or her removal or the removal of any other member of the same governing body during the remainder of his or her term of office.

3rd floor watcher said...

Query: Is the city charter given defference over state statute in this matter? Some laws may not apply to a Metropolitain class city. Thanks IN THE KNOW

3rd floor watcher said...

Or better question is: Does Omaha's Charter provide an expeditious election to fill the vacancy?

Dress for Success said...

So Gary Garnandt becomes Acting Mayor...he is good at Acting.

Anonymous said...

INTHEKNOW....not all state laws apply to Omaha. The Home Rule Charter supersedes State Law:

"(1) If the vacancy occurs in the first two years of the Mayor's term, then the following procedure shall apply:
(a) Not later than 30 days following notification of such vacancy, the Council shall by majority vote elect an Interim Mayor who will serve as Mayor until a new Mayor is elected by the people as hereinbelow specified. The Council may elect the Interim Mayor from among its members or from among the electors of the city having the qualifications for office. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Charter to the contrary, any Councilmember elected as Interim Mayor may continue as a member of the Council during such time period.
(b) In the event a national, state or county election will occur in Douglas County, Nebraska, within 150 days but not less than 90 days of the date of written notification of the vacancy to the City Clerk by the City Attorney, a new Mayor shall be elected at such election.
(c) In the event no such election will occur in such a period, a special election shall be held to elect a new Mayor. The Council shall designate a date not less than 90 days nor more than 150 days from the date of notification of vacancy, to the extent permitted by state law, for such special election"

Anonymous said...

Who was on Hal Daub's staff?
How old was Brinker Harding or Steve Krupa? Just wondering.

Why does the World Herald hate Suttle so much? Because he opposed the new baseball stadium downtown? How is that related to the World Herald? Why does the OWH love Daub so much (remember they arranged a secret lie detector test for him).

Next time I'm voting for Jim Vokal