History will be made in Tuesday’s Stothert-Ewing mayoral tilt

OMAHA — Voters in Nebraska’s largest city, those who haven’t cast early ballots, hit the polls Tuesday to decide what kind of history the city should make, a fourth term for Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert or a first for Douglas County Treasurer John Ewing Jr.

Stothert started the five-way race this spring as a heavy favorite facing historical vulnerabilities common to Omaha mayors who seek to stay in office a long time. Some local political observers have worried she set herself up to learn the Hal Daub lesson.

Like Daub, Stothert has ruffled feathers among some in Omaha by unapologetically pressing her vision for the city, sometimes at odds with voters and donors. Daub faced pushback from voters and donors tired of his controversies and cantankerousness.

Voter fatigue vs. Name ID

Political scientists, consultants and politicians have said Stothert’s biggest challenges may be voter fatigue with a three-term mayor, unrest about the economy under President Donald Trump and the lack of a clearly articulated plan for a fourth term. 

Stothert’s GOP defenders say she easily advanced in an April primary with former State Sen. Mike McDonnell, a fellow Republican. But he softened Stothert with relentless criticism of her support of the city’s streetcar project and poor street quality. Ewing, too, hammered her on streets and potholes.

Ewing, a Democrat with a long history on local ballots as county treasurer, largely let them fight. He lost a close 2nd Congressional District race in 2012 with then-U.S. Rep. Lee Terry, R-Neb., in which he stressed competence and steadiness.

Stothert record

The mayor, a Republican running in the officially nonpartisan race, has argued that her record speaks for itself, that downtown Omaha, because of city partnerships with private donors and her work with businesses like Mutual of Omaha, is rebuilding stronger after the damage to the commercial real estate market from the COVID-19 pandemic.

She has argued that the city is safer because of the way she has worked with Police Chief Todd Schmaderer to pay police officers more and grow the budgeted number of officers the city can hire and help curb violence.

But McDonnell, a former Omaha fire chief, and Ewing, a former Omaha police officer, argued Stothert hasn’t done enough to help the city recruit and fill those new officer positions and, because of that, the city has neglected property and nuisance crimes.

Ewing’s pitch

Ewing would be the first Democrat to lead the city since former Mayor Jim Suttle, who helped revive the city’s finances with moves that upset some City Council conservatives, including implementing a restaurant tax that Stothert opposed and eventually accepted and has let stand as mayor.

If he beats Stothert, Ewing also would be the city’s first Black mayor, clearing a hurdle that former State Sen. Brenda Council of Omaha came closest to in 1997, losing narrowly to Daub. The Ewing campaign has pointed to Ewing’s record as a treasurer and as a high-ranking police officer. He was first elected treasurer in 2006.

Ewing and his campaign have said he is ready for the job and that he would focus the city more on the basics of providing city services, emphasizing improving streets, working with police and neighborhood groups to address crime, helping all of the city grow and boosting affordable housing.

Late attacks

Stothert’s camp has criticized miscalculations by his treasurer’s office in 2021 of how much to pay local school districts and governments based on funds from the Omaha Public Power District. A state audit found that the mistake, a calculation that began decades before Ewing took office, led to incorrect payments to some local school districts and governments.

Late in the race, in an effort to overcome what looks like an advantage in energy and enthusiasm from local Democrats, some Stothert supporters have sought to force Ewing to discuss transgender rights, which has helped Republicans nationally. 

Ewing has argued that the move is a political distraction irrelevant to the job as mayor. Stothert, a former grand marshal of Omaha’s pride parade, has defended the ads as fair game given his party if Ewing and his supporters can lump her in with Trump, whom she has publicly supported.

Omaha’s election runs from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Early ballots can be turned in until polls close. Early ballots turned in by the close of business Monday will be counted on Election Day. Early ballots returned Tuesday will be opened and counted on Friday.