LINCOLN, Neb. (KMTV) — Thursday ushered in a new era of Nebraska politics.
It was a ceremony in front of a packed George W. Norris Legislative chamber. Nebraska's newest flight of officials — university regents, state board of education members, constitutional officers and more — were sworn into office.
“Do each of you solemnly swear, or affirm that you support the constitution of the United States, and the state of Nebraska and will faithfully discharge your duties," said Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Heavican.
The man of the hour was Nebraska's new head of state, Jim Pillen.
While he might have had a little trouble finding the right hand to take the oath — he switched hands just before swearing in —he wasted no time in sharing his vision for Nebraska during his first term.
"We do expect that government does well in those limited functions that only it can perform. We expect low taxes, carefully controlled spending, transparency and accountability. We expect the business of the people to be handled like business," said Pillen.
He was quick to praise the hard work of Nebraskans but didn't shy away from the problems facing the state.
"We do have obstacles to overcome. Too much of our talent is leaving the state and we have to do a better job of keeping our kids here, equipping them with the skillsets they will need and attracting even more top-tier talent from across the state," said Pillen.
Like many of his campaign speeches, Pillen ended with a nod to his former coach and Nebraska legend Tom Osborne — hoping the lessons he learned with him will help carry the state to success over the next four years.
"Nobody ever just stays the same. Every day, every day we can either decide to put in the effort to get better. Or we allow ourselves to get worse. Took me five years to learn that from coach, but I finally got it," said Pillen.
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