Southeast Omaha District 7 will send first-time public officeholder to Legislature

OMAHA — An open seat to represent the largely southeast Omaha district in the Legislature has attracted a field of four: a lawmaker’s aide, a longtime Latino activist, a bilingual public schools advocate and an owner of a martial arts studio.

All have been politically active in various ways, but none ever held an elected public office.

Christopher Geary, the martial arts entrepreneur, ran for various offices but was defeated five times. He declined to comment for this story. 

The other District 7 contenders are: Dunixi Guereca, executive director of the nonprofit Stand for Schools; Tim Pendrell, aide to departing State Sen. Mike McDonnell; and Ben Salazar, a veteran and former publisher of a Spanish-English newspaper. 

They’re vying for the law-making position currently held by State Sen. Tony Vargas, who is term-limited. 

Heavily Hispanic

As of this week, two of the four candidates had raised enough funds to trigger a campaign finance report. According to the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, Guereca had generated $73,173 and Pendrell, $26,435.

Guereca, Pendrell and Geary are registered Democrats; Salazar is nonpartisan. Nebraska’s legislative races are officially nonpartisan, so the top two vote-getters in the May 14 primary, regardless of political affiliation, will advance to the general election.

The victor will represent a district that includes some of Omaha’s oldest neighborhoods and trendiest urban pockets. District 7 areas of  downtown, southeast and South Omaha stand out also for their  majority Hispanic population.

According to legislative records current through 2021, about 52% of the total district and 43% of the voting age population was Hispanic.

Geographically, the district stretches from Cuming Street on the north to the Douglas-Sarpy County line on the south; and from Interstate 480 on the west to the Missouri River on the east.

The Nebraska Examiner asked the candidates issues-oriented questions. Their responses are below (except for Geary, who didn’t respond.)

The three others in interviews discussed their priorities and reasons behind their first shot at public office.

Pendrell

Pendrell, 43, expects to hit the ground running if elected to a Legislature he’s worked around for the past five years.

Currently an aide to a lawmaker from a neighboring district, his presence has been largely behind the scenes. The impending exit of a cluster of term-limited senators he respects, and who’ve dealt closely with the state budget, got him thinking.

“I’m worried, this is going to catch up with us,” said Pendrell. 

Taking stock of “what we’re losing” in experience — and believing that his own learning curve will be less than the typical freshman senator — nudged his effort to move out of the background and into the running for a legislative seat. 

A self-described S.O.B. (South Omaha Boy), Pendrell is a former grant administrator for the Nebraska Department of Corrections and an AmeriCorps/Vista worker with Habitat for Humanity of Omaha.

He said his legislative priorities would include education and economic development. 

Pendrell would like to expand state funding to the 50-year-old Goodrich Scholarship Program at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and he plans to advocate for NU campuses to become “Hispanic Serving Institutions” that meet needs of diverse communities.

Pendrell expects to tap the urban planning training gained in graduate school to promote creative development for his inner-city district that he says is short of open spaces.

One idea, he said, is constructing a land bridge over the Kennedy Freeway that would connect key commercial and industrial areas. He said federal funding is available for projects of that sort, which also provide space for recreation or parking. 

“We can be creative and create the space we need to grow,” he said.

Salazar

For Salazar, you might say the road to a legislative run began June 21, 1966 — the day he was drafted to Vietnam.

The Scottsbluff native said he saw injustices on the battlefield, in the politics of war and upon returning home to the Civil Rights Movement.

“There were a lot of things going on in that era that impacted my generation,” he said. “At the same time I didn’t feel that I 100% belonged in this country. My people were still being looked at as second-class citizens.”

Salazar said his actions from then on were anchored in trying to be a voice for the Latino community.

He said he sharpened debate and research skills in law school. He published the Omaha-based Nuestro Mundo newspaper for a couple of decades.

At age 78, his entry into the District 7 race was spurred, he said, by remarks from Nebraska officials about immigrants and Hispanics, particularly related to activity at the southern border. He said a seat in the Legislature would offer an opportunity to educate and respond to efforts such as sending Nebraska troops to the border. 

“We need to have more voices speak out against ugly rhetoric that targets people of color and minorities,” Salazar said.

He views himself as a “guardian” for an underrepresented Latino community, but said that doesn’t mean he’s “limited by that notion.” Salazar cited pandemic outreach for the Douglas County Health Department and consulting work for Metropolitan Community College as examples of his broader work.

As a lawmaker, he said, a priority would also be to champion a woman’s right to “determine her own health issues,” including an abortion.

Guereca

Guereca, 35, came to Nebraska via California two years ago to head a nonprofit focused on supporting public schools.

He said he saw the impact that charter schools and vouchers had on public education in the Golden State, and he vowed to help stave off privatization efforts in Nebraska.

Guereca said he remains convinced that public schools are the “pillar of our democracy,” a place that educates all kids and provides more than just lessons about history and math.

He’s set his sights on a legislative seat to help shape public education, job training, health care and other services and programs that can open doors for Nebraskans of all economic and social classes. 

“That’s going to be my main focus: common sense legislation that allows a pathway to the American dream,” Guereca said.

The son of Mexican immigrants, Guereca said he has spent his career so far trying to “empower working people.” Prior to his job as executive director of Stand for Schools, he was a labor organizer.

He spent time earlier in Nebraska as a student at the University of Nebraska’s Lincoln and Kearney campuses.

He is a national officer for the Young Democrats of America and has been endorsed by Vargas.

If elected, Guereca said he hopes to create more partnerships between business and high schools to prepare a young workforce, including those who don’t go to college. He wants better teacher recruitment strategies, particularly for teachers of color. 

Describing District 7 as hard-working, he recounted a visit to a South 24th Street diner looking for chilaquiles. His favorite Mexican breakfast dish wasn’t on the menu, but the cook whipped it up anyway.

Said Guereca: “They deserve someone that is going there (the Legislature) to fight for them.”

In their own words:

Q: How would you want the State of Nebraska to address property taxes, if at all, and how would you pay for your approach?

Salazar: I would legalize marijuana, impose a tax on the sale of marijuana and offset property taxes in that way. According to states that have passed marijuana laws, they make a ton of money.

Pendrell: Addressing property taxes in Nebraska is crucial for economic relief and properly funding our schools without new taxes. My plan combines $1.677 billion from the Property Tax Credit, the Education Future Fund, and TEEOSA to lower the local effort rate from $1.00 to $0.55 per $100 of property valuation, increasing state funding for education. Simultaneously, I would reduce the levy lid from $1.05 to $0.65, directly cutting property taxes — for example, saving an Omaha homeowner with a $250,000 property about $1,000 annually. This approach also boosts school districts’ financial flexibility by widening the gap between the levy lid and the local effort rate, enabling over 86% of districts statewide to receive equalization aid … This would increase state funding for Omaha Public Schools by over $100 million per year.

Guereca: I support lowering property taxes. We are currently in the top 10% for highest property taxes in the country. We need to have an honest conversation about why — it has to do with state aid to education. We must fully fund public education at the state level and give our local school boards consistent funding and the confidence they need to lower property taxes. I will not support legislation that shifts the tax burden to hardworking Nebraskans through sales or other regressive taxation systems. 

Q: What spending would you prioritize in the Legislature and why? What spending do you think the state could cut and why?

Salazar: It’s a waste not to have an industrial park somewhere in South Omaha that could partner with one of these large tech companies to spur growth and interest among high school and college students in our community to acquire good-paying jobs in technology. That’s lacking. I have been complaining for years that South Omaha doesn’t have enough economic engines to spur growth in the area of technology and to utilize the educational backgrounds of many of the young Latinos.

Pendrell: My focus will be on strategic investments that support both immediate needs and long-term growth in education, infrastructure and economic development. These sectors are vital as they create jobs, attract new businesses and expand Nebraska’s economic base. Additionally, I aim to maximize federal funding opportunities in critical areas such as health care, education and public transportation, enhancing our state’s financial leverage. I will also prioritize streamlining our budget by eliminating inefficient spending and outdated programs, reducing reliance on local taxes and lightening the economic burden on our residents. 

Guereca: Our priorities have to be focused on building up our economy. So I would prioritize spending on legislation that helps grow our workforce, address our state’s housing shortage and ensure our public schools are properly funded. As far as cuts, I would look for efficiencies in every state agency. There are always places the government can do better, and I’d work to find those areas and address them. 

Q: What would you like to see the state do to encourage economic development, growth, workforce development and housing?

Salazar: No. 1, state officials have to start talking with Latinos and have a plan to engage one or more entities in South Omaha. What the state has done so far is throw out a few million dollars to a few different entities, but economic development to me means something grander, larger. I’ve heard about economic development conversations taking place — including ways to integrate the immigrant community into the statewide workforce — but for the most part we’ve been excluded from the conversations.

Pendrell: Central to this is the workforce diploma bill I worked on, which aims to assist over 100,000 Nebraskans without a high school diploma by providing educational and employment support. This initiative addresses our labor market needs, filling over 90,000 middle-skilled jobs and offering significant economic benefits by reducing social service costs and increasing tax revenues. Additionally, I am focused on expanding access to state contracts for local businesses, helping them grow and thrive by securing state projects.

Guereca: South Omaha deserves nice things, too. West Omaha isn’t the only part of town that deserves nice things. We want everyone in our community to be able to achieve the American Dream. What makes us attractive to businesses? Our talented workforce. We need a strong voice from South Omaha in the Legislature. We have a talented workforce and great investment potential. We must make sure that we have the things that workers need to be successful so that business can be successful — strong public schools (parks, libraries), good-paying jobs, affordable housing and access to affordable health care. 

Q: What policies would you prioritize at the state level in K-12 and higher education, and why would you emphasize them?

Salazar: I like the notion of peer learning and teaching, that is, groups of students dealing with subject matters in small groups, three or five students … discussing, sharing with one another. Culturally kids feel very comfortable with one another, there’s not so much pressure, it’s kind of a shared responsibility. This standardized system of teaching subject matter … would have to be considered from the very top. The Board of Education, politicians, legislators and the whole bunch would have to be convinced there is the possibility of doing something better to improve the academic standing of our students. 

Pendrell: For K-12 education, my priority is to provide equitable funding across all districts and to integrate STEM education, advanced technologies, and innovative teaching methodologies. This effort includes expanding skilled trades opportunities through paid apprenticeship programs and two-year degrees, giving them the same emphasis as four-year degrees. In higher education, I plan to significantly expand the Goodrich Scholarship Program to increase its accessibility and impact, helping more students receive the financial and academic support they need. 

Guereca: Ensuring we direct appropriate public dollars to public schools is my top priority. Voucher schemes like those passed last year put our public education system at risk. We must focus our funding on making our public schools the best they can be for students no matter where they live — not finding ways to enrich private schools with public dollars. We must also work to solve the teacher shortage crisis by both recruiting more people into teaching and fixing the reasons that cause them to leave the profession. 

Q: What issues are you hearing from voters in your district that need to be addressed? 

Salazar: We need to do something more for the young people in South Omaha. Job opportunities, training opportunities. We just don’t have enough open-door facilities, where you can walk in and have people show the education and jobs that are available.

Pendrell: There’s been an uptick in reckless driving on 13th Street, a major concern as it coincides with increased pedestrian traffic. This is a public safety issue that needs immediate attention to protect our residents. Secondly, there’s growing anxiety regarding access to youth sports and community led mentorship in South Omaha. This concern has been exacerbated by the lack of Latino and South Omaha representation on the new PACE board of directors, leading to misinformation and uncertainty in the community. I am also advocating for the inclusion of youth sports representatives on local lodging tax-funded tourism groups, recognizing that youth tournaments are significant economic drivers for our region. 

Guereca: I hear about several challenges that we need to address, including funding for our public and higher education programs, a broken property tax system, and an affordable housing shortage. Schools and property taxes are tied together as the vast majority of property taxes go to funding our education system. To solve both problems, we must examine funding structures and make sure the state is paying its fair share to support students.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect an updated fundraising total for Dunixi Guereca.