The Seedy Side of Omaha City Council

The Amendment Dispute is Over Money

Update: well, apparently I got this one wrong. However, the ordinance is poorly written. The 20 percent only applies to being council president, not acting mayor. My apologies. The portion on pay should be established as a separate section. Also, why the percent sign is in the ordinance is beyond me.

By now, you have heard Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert has been out of town a lot. At the same time, the City had a Charter Convention recommending the Mayor be allowed to be fully active Mayor up to 5 days of being out of the City (https://omaha.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/councilman-says-vote-on-omaha-mayors-out-of-town-powers-was-mistake/article_5f65603a-223a-11ed-a5c0-ab1ba6f8c042.html)

 Well, Council member Palermo submitted the proposal to have it debated and it comes up for a vote again on August 30 (https://cityclerk.cityofomaha.org/images/agenda/ID_22_08_30/ORD-43066.pdf and https://cityclerk.cityofomaha.org/images/agenda/2022-08-30a2.pdf) Palermo knows he needs to be able to access the Mayor and digital technology does this.

The proposal is buried in legalese (lawyer talk). However, generally, the proposal would allow the Mayor to work outside of Omaha for up to 5 business days without process. Considering the abilities of a digital economy, the proposal should not be controversial. The idea of place has largely vanished as many people can work from almost anywhere.

Yet controversy has arisen. The real objection appears to be coming from Council member Pete Festersen who is Council President and becomes acting Mayor when Stothert is not in town. Section 2.07. - President of the Council part (a) of the City Charter states “The President shall receive compensation in an amount equal to 20% of the current salary of Councilmembers per year in addition to the salary as a Council Member.” Apparently, Mayor Stothert has been out-of-town long enough for Festersen to get a taste of money and does not want a change in his payout.

Looks to me, like he is pushing his Democrat supporters and colleagues to vote the change down. Omaha Citizens should be able to vote on this. The Council should approve the Amendment as a ballot issue. You can contact your City Council member through the link below:

https://citycouncil.cityofomaha.org/council-members