All Lincoln City Council Candidates were contacted. Other Candidates include: Aurang Zeb, Council Member Roy A. Christensen, Council Member Sändra Washington and Council Member Bennie Shobe

Ahead of the Lincoln Primary Elections on April 6 and General on May 4, we reached out to Lincoln City Council (at-large) Candidates to answer: What policies do you plan on focusing on that would directly benefit young people, ultimately making them want to stay?

Below are their full responses.

Register to vote here! The last day to register to vote online/by mail for the general election is Friday, April 16th.

Tom Beckius

“Policies that ensure affordable housing, fair and equal treatment and a vibrant community full of culture are all important in creating a place young people want to live. But being a city council member is about more than just policy – it’s also about building a community where everyone thrives and fostering relationships with our neighbors.”

Mary Hilton

“I desire Lincoln to be a vibrant community for all ages of people, but since I have four children between the ages of 18 - 22, the talk at our dinner table often circles around to what they, as young adults, want in a community. They tell me there must first be a robust job market for them to support themselves at a job they would enjoy, social opportunities, and adequate housing that they can afford to live in. My policies will focus on setting businesses and individuals free by cutting red tape and reducing unnecessary regulations, where they can use their giftings and energy in achieving their goals. I believe that affordable housing happens when the local economy is flourishing and people can work and afford to pay for their own homes. Government should not be all-encompassing, the entity to which we look first for help in all times of need. Other institutions in civil society play important roles, like the family, neighborhoods, churches, commerce, non-profits and education. These, along with the great strengths and community-mindedness of Generation Z, working together will make Lincoln a great place to live.”

Elina Newman

“One of the issues that I would work on that would impact youth voters is to promote and aid small businesses. My goal is to give people the opportunity to get into the middle class and stay there just as I was able to do coming to the US as a refugee with virtually nothing 26 years ago. According to U.S. Small Business Administration (2019), “small businesses are the lifeblood of the U.S. economy: they create two-thirds of net new jobs and drive U.S. innovation and competitiveness...”

Joseph Swanson

“Solidarity is the base from which workers can organize to act independently of the bosses, their government, and their capitalist parties, the Democrats and Republicans. To combat unemployment, we need to organize and fight for a government-funded public works program with union-scale pay and to shorten the workweek with no cut in pay to spread the work around. We must fight for workers control of production, to be able to put safety ahead of the bosses’ profits. We need to build a labor party, based on the unions, to speak and fight in the interests of all those exploited and oppressed by capital. This is the road along which we can build a movement to take power out of the hands of the capitalist rulers, ending this dog-eat-dog system, and put in place a government of workers and farmers, based on human solidarity.”

Maggie Mae Squires

"Cannabis legalization citywide would create billions of dollars in tax revenue which should be used to provide free community college to residents & would create business opportunities for young entrepreneurs. (The City of Denver legalized, the state followed. Same in Portland & Seattle - it’s all local!) I also believe every City-County (taxpayer-funded) building should be required to use renewable energy sources - like, solar on the roofs."

Eric Burling

“I'm still young enough to recall what I wanted as I finished college: a job, a nice place to live downtown, and an exciting nightlife. Lincoln's downtown has improved a lot since I graduated, but when businesses and restaurants aren't able to operate at full capacity, we lose jobs, specifically those jobs that are important for Lincoln's youth. We need growth and a thriving community to keep Lincoln great, and I plan to grow Lincoln by incentivizing entrepreneurship and employment opportunities for recent graduates.”

Peter Kolozsy

"I have a few specific things I want to focus on in Lincoln. Transparency, Safety (Stop Sex-Trafficking and Expediate Sexual Assault Cases), Legalize Marijuana, and lower taxes. Transparency means we need to know where the tax money is going and what it is being spent on. Transparency means we "the people" need to know what the City is planning to vote on BEFORE they make decisions…” that affect all of us.

Safety means we need to end Sex-Trafficking once and for all. Slavery is happening in our own back yards and it needs to stop now! Ending slave-trade needs to be a TOP Priority. Safety means Sexual Assault investigations and cases need to be expediated. NO PERSON should have to wait multiple years to get justice for a sexual assault! If we need an entire section of the judicial branch to handle these specific cases that is what needs to be done! Take rape seriously!

It's time we Legalize weed. 1.) It is safer than alcohol! 2.) It has many uses and can replace many medications and treatments. 3.) The tax money made from legalized marijuana will help pay for our roads to be fixed and our public schools and programs to flourish. 4.) The tax money made from legal marijuana will allow us lower property tax, wheel tax and other taxes that are too high, while not taking away from the projects needed in our City."

"If you care about Lincoln Nebraska, it's time we all stand together and make this a better place to live than it already is!"

Trevor Reilly

“One of my primary policies I would advance is removing cannabis possession and paraphernalia charges from the city code. I believe Lincoln can fully decriminalize with the understanding that criminalizing substance use rarely, if ever, addresses the underlying issues that drive it. Criminalization disproportionally affects younger people and often makes them ineligible for school grants or scholarships, and removing this element of policing would aid all young people... following Generation Z.”

For more great municipal election information visit: civicnebraska.org/election-2021/