- Mike McDonnell said if elected mayor he'd put the continuance of the streetcar project to a vote.
- Mayor Jean Stothert says ending the project could cost the city millions and have a negative impact on bond ratings.
- Bonds for the projects were approved by the Omaha City Council
- Mayor Stothert states no taxpayer money is being used, and a vote on the bonds is unnecessary.
- Mayoral candidates John Ewing and Jasmine Harris weigh-in on the issue.
The Harney Street Bridge over Interstate 480 is gone but the controversy surrounding it isn't. Mayoral candidate Mike McDonnell said even though the bridge is gone, he'll try to cancel the streetcar if elected.
Watch Hannah's story:
McDonnell has openly opposed the streetcar for months. Tuesday, he held a news conference to discuss the project, her suggested pausing the project and putting it to a vote, and setting sights on other street repair projects.
“It [Harney Street Bridge] would have lasted for another, who knows, 15, 20, 25 years. And if you look south, there's a bridge that has to be repaired immediately. That's not being done, being held up by plywood. This is not the right thing for Omaha. This is not what the people of Omaha want. And if I'm wrong, let the people vote,” said McDonnell.
Mayor Stothert responded to McDonnell and said the city is not responsible for bridges, they are overseen by the Nebraska Department of Transportation.
“Both the Harney Street and the Farnham Street Bridge need to be replaced. They were going to be replaced by the DOT anyway eventually because that bridges, those bridges are, are have a lot of wear and tear on them. It was going to be replaced anyway, but because of the weight of the streetcar, we are going to go ahead and get those done now,” said Stothert.
If the streetcar project were put to a vote McDonnell said he believes it would not pass. In that scenario he said he’d put an end to the project and look for ways out of the existing contracts.
“First thing we do is look at all contracts, and of course we want to look at all legally binding contracts and negotiate our way through those contracts. But right now with the infrastructure, I'm asking, let's stop now. When you're digging a hole, the old saying is stop digging,” said McDonnell.
The Omaha City Council has already approved the issuance of bonds. Mayor Stothert said because the city is not utilizing obligation bonds a vote is not necessary. And that the money is not coming from the pockets of taxpayers, instead developers along the streetcar will be footing the bill.
“Mike McDonald's plan for the streetcar, however, is to move the funding that we currently have from being private funding on the backs of the to the of the developers, private funding on the back of the developers to funding by the Omaha taxpayers on the back of the taxpayers,” said Mayor Stothert.
Multiple streetcars have already been purchased and contracts for building the vehicle maintenance facility were approved by City Council and the Omaha Streetcar Authority. Mayor Stothert said if those contracts are broken it could cost the city millions.
“These contracts that we already have out would default, if those contracts would default, we would be sued. Millions of dollars in lawsuits by the people that already have contracts with us. If we default in our contracts, what that means is our bond rating will go down and our credit rating will go down. There is a just a terrible domino effect of what he is saying he is going to do when he is mayor and the Omaha taxpayers need to be aware of that,” said Stothert.
Development surrounding the streetcar is estimated to bring $1.5 billion dollars in new development along the streetcar line including the Central Park Plaza and the Mutual of Omaha building.
KMTV contacted the other mayoral candidates John Ewing and Jasmine Harris about the project. Ewing said in a statement that it's too late to stop the project:
“While I believe this decision is detrimental to Omaha and that the mayor was irresponsible in committing us to this project, it's unfortunately too late to stop it. Legal action at this point would be costly and likely unsuccessful, as contracts have already been signed and bridges demolished.
Mr. McDonnell is making promises he knows he cannot keep and misleading the public. If elected, I assure you that I will not make expensive decisions with limited benefit, nor will I make promises I have no intention of keeping. Omaha deserves better leadership which is why I am running for mayor of Omaha."
Harris also agrees it's too late to back out. But, said developing public transportation is a good move for the city.
"The streetcar is projected to cost over $460 million. Streets have been torn up and the Harney Street bridge has been demolished. It is fiscally irresponsible to stop or pause the project and put it to a vote. That train has left the station. As mayor, I will work with the Regional Metropolitan Transit Authority to ensure that we have a plan in place to connect all of our various transit systems in the city to work for people who need them to get to and from work, school and other places they frequent. The future of Omaha depends on a transit system that will support the region. I will look into options that support all areas of our city like a light rail system or even a regional train from Omaha to Lincoln."
