OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — After multiple back-and-forth spats, Omaha residents will not be deciding if their mayor can remain in power for up to five days when they’re out of city limits.
Last week, the Omaha City Council made the somewhat surprising decision to put a charter amendment on the ballot that would allow the mayor — in this case, Mayor Jean Stothert — to remain in power when they’re out of town for five days.
But right after the meeting one council member who voted 'yes' said it was a mistake.
Councilmember Danny Begley cited the Nox-Crete fire and the 2021 flood in east Omaha, saying the mayor needs to be in town and that he made a mistake by voting yes last week.
“My position isn’t partisan on this. It’s based on the principle that I believe we should have boots on the ground. From the pictures I showed people that happened when the mayor was out of town,” said Begley.
This comes at a time when the mayor is on a three-and-a-half-week Italian vacation including travel to Carlentini, Italy for a portion of that trip to solidify a sister city agreement.
A public records request showed that Stothert will have been out of town for 42 working days so far in 2022, equivalent to eight and a half weeks of vacation.
Councilmember Vinny Palermo said that didn’t sit well with his voters.
“Almost every one of the people said they really appreciate the job Mayor Stothert is doing. So I’m not up here saying she’s gone, she’s unhappy. They’re happy with the job, but they feel like the leader of the city — the mayor of the city, the executive branch — should be in place more than what has been shown,” said Palermo.
Stothert has publicly pushed the city council to put the "out of town" amendment on the November ballot and she was backed by Councilmember Aimee Melton, who said Stothert deserves days off and sometimes puts in 12-plus hour days when she’s in the office.
“Our mayor works more, more than most of us. And when she’s here and even when she’s out of town during one of those events. I spent an hour-and-a-half on the phone with her,” said Melton.
Melton believes all charter amendments should be voted on by the people and said she'll push to have a similar amendment on the 2024 ballot.
Council President Pete Festersen, who becomes acting mayor when Stothert is gone, voted to not allow the "out of town" amendment but did speak on the issue.
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