Ahead of the Omaha Primary Elections on April 6 and General on May 11, we reached out to City Council 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.

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District 1

Sarah Johnson

“One specific thing I plan on addressing when elected is the way Omaha and its developers have been abusing TIF (tax increment financing) which directly takes money away from public schools. Another thing I see as a crisis currently is the lack of affordable housing and by amending TIF requirements we can mandate affordability and energy efficiency in new development. I was so impressed with the group What Youth Can Do this summer and their demands and by listening to them and voting accordingly, I can best support them. One thing I will NOT do is vote to approve SROs in schools and will instead advocate for more of our city's funds to go toward mental health initiatives. I've been a huge multimodal activist for the past decade with my work with Mode Shift Omaha and we know that Gen Z (and most residents!) want better public transit, bike infrastructure and walkability and less car dependency. I'll fight for all of that and listen to the youth along the way so we can build, together, a city where we all want to stay and can thrive!”

Pete Festersen

"Omaha needs to pursue policies that allow a young, creative class to thrive in our community. As a musician myself, I think it's important we continue to cultivate a lively music, arts and entertainment scene like we have in Benson. I also think we need new outdoor recreation and public transit opportunities. And we need to do a better job of embracing diversity of all kinds like we did when I introduced and helped pass the state's first non-discrimination ordinance. All of these things are critical to keeping our young people here and attracting the workforce our economy needs to be successful in the future."

District 2

Steven Abraham

“Working with local and state government to create better wages and benefits which includes working with employers, be involved in creating attractions that are more centered around improved local district nightlife, affordable housing with modern or innovative methods of transportation, and implement a young person Townhall meeting to get the likes and dislikes which makes sure they’re part of important processes.”

Jonathan Lathan

“I joined the military at 17 because I did not see the opportunity in Omaha to grow, thrive, and raise a family. Now that I'm back in Omaha, I still see that this is an area that needs significant improvement. There are a few policy points that would specifically benefit the 18-24 demographic, mainly centered on jobs. I understand that all high school graduates do not go to college right away. Also, those who do, can accumulate large amounts of debt and sometimes that's a huge hurdle to overcome as well. I would work with local organizations, such as the labor and trade unions, and also seek out entrepreneurship programs to ensure that those who want to explore non-traditional paths are set up for success.”

District 3

Jen Bauer

“I have 2 policies which I believe would benefit the younger voters. One is making city council more accessible to everyone. Not only online, but by changing the meeting times to evenings, introducing quarterly townhalls and other live events, to allow for better attendance. My overall focus is on community and getting those who want to be involved an avenue to be heard. My second platform is affordable housing options and transportation. We need to review our Master Plan for the city, allowing for a "middle housing" solution which speaks to young professionals and allows for options other than high dollar apartments. Affordable middle housing is more residential and focuses less on being on the transportation corridor, but is close enough to mass transit to make it an alternative to downtown living.”

Danny Begley

“I plan on focusing on a number of policies that would directly benefit young people and encourage them to stay in Omaha. One of the most integral policy areas that I plan to focus on is public transit and infrastructure. While this isn’t always seen as the most glamorous issue, it is at the root of some of the issues that we’re seeing that lead to youth leaving our city. Fixing the public transit and infrastructure in Omaha will not only allow connections between different communities, cut down on commuting time, and allow easy access to all corners of the city, but it will also help to cut down on transmissions and to help preserve the environment – an issue that will unfortunately disproportionately affect the younger generations of Omaha. I also am a strong advocate for living wages. I know that young people need to be able to earn adequate wages and have access to benefits in order to successfully launch into adulthood and I want to ensure they are able to earn a wage that allows them to purchase homes, cars, have access to medical care, and start a family. I will work to make sure there are opportunities for young people in Omaha. Also, as a director for the Nebraska Center for Workforce Development, we are doing active outreach of the building trades into middle and high schools to expose them to the great careers that are available in trade jobs.”

Gilbert Ayala

“I believe that the most important thing for young people to stay in Omaha is to have a vibrant and strong labor market. My focus would be on ensuring that young people have jobs that they can apply for so as to be able to support themselves and their families.”

Cammy Watkins

“All of our platform policies are centered around making Omaha a more equitable city for all people. However, the one that I think is most relevant is our Community Care Investments. This priority is my commitment to ensure that on the local level we are working to provide a sustainable quality of life for all. This includes many things, but most notably for future generations addressing Climate Change by reviewing ways to incorporate the Thrive Agenda into our policies. By effectively investing in Climate action policies we can ensure our city is thriving economically, culturally and environmentally.”

District 4

Ben Cass

“As a Millennial who grew up thinking that I'd need to leave Omaha in order to be successful or live the kind of life that I wanted, I understand the urge to leave town and I care about making sure there are reasons to stay. I believe that we need to make sure Omaha has economic opportunities for young people, that we need to foster our communities, and that we need to encourage our city's culture to thrive.

With that in mind, ...my policies would focus on:

- creating vibrant and walkable neighborhoods

- reducing the need for car ownership

- supporting not just the arts - but artists - here in Omaha

- having safe but fun nightlife and attractions

- creating ways to connect employers with young folks entering the workforce

- making our city an attractive place for remote work opportunities

- and making sure our city is continuously accessible and responsive to the needs of young people... in our city.”

District 5

Kathleen Kauth

“From a City Council perspective, I would like to incentivize businesses of all sizes through tax breaks to offer paid internship opportunities to young adults. The goal would be multi-pronged:

1. Young adults will get the ability to try out different fields without the worry about being viewed as "job-hoppers."
2. Making sure that each internship is a paid internship commensurate with entry level in that particular field is important. Unpaid internships are often abused, and only people with other sources of income can accept them - thereby being excluded from valuable experience and contacts.
3. Businesses get the opportunity to assess potential employees without the commitment of hiring a full-time person who may or may not work-out.
4. Businesses also get to train someone who may not have experience in the way that business actually works. This is a huge benefit for businesses who plan long-term.

This would need to be fleshed out more, but there are several models available for comparison.”

Destiny Stark

“Prioritizing equity, diversity and inclusion to give a voice to BIPOC and LGBTQ+ listening to and addressing their concerns for public safety to make District 5 and all of Omaha more welcoming.
As well, ...we need to focus on maintaining safe, affordable housing, improving neighborhood amenities including expanding walkability to necessary goods and services, having all sidewalks properly cleared of snow or other objects in a timely manner, expanding public transit and other alternative means of transportation throughout the city to make it easier for all mobility levels.

Promoting trade labor with the same enthusiasm as traditional college... to further inform high school students and young adults of career opportunities they may not have thought to seek out.”

Jeff Moore

“If I am elected to the Omaha City Council I plan to work on many issues, but one that is near and dear to my heart is making Omaha a destination. As you know, we don’t have beaches nor mountains so ...we need to create an identity for Omaha that will draw more visitors. More visitors mean more tax dollars for Omaha. At the same time we are drawing people to Omaha with events and concerts, it gives our young citizens more to do. My hope is that if we have more to do, we will have more people want to live and stay in Omaha. To do this, I will need help from the private sector and various groups to help design a plan.”

Colleen Brennan

“As my family has been part of the music scene for generations, I'd like to see Omaha rekindle its roots as a rich incubator for musicians and live performance venues. I will promote policies that are focused on creating a rich urban experience - good-paying jobs to support a diverse, multi-cultural workforce; modern, high-tech public transportation accessible to all; year-round world-class sporting and entertainment events; and most importantly, a wide variety of quality, affordable housing.”

District 6

Naomi Hattaway

“We need to prioritize innovative (but not complicated) ideas like inner-tourism (inviting neighboring communities to explore all of Omaha), using empty business parks for community gathering, and keeping a focus on access to safe and affordable housing for folks transitioning into new housing needs. In the Blueprint Nebraska initiative, they aim to bring in 43,000 new young people to our state between the ages of 18-34, yet we’re not doing enough for the students and young people who are already here. I will fight to increase our community grant awards, and introduce new programs to bolster a pipeline and build a strong bench of civically-engaged young leaders across all party lines and affiliations (investing in resources and education that start at home, funded in part by the City of Omaha). When we listen to our young people, and ask what belonging, worth and value look like for YOU – Omaha will be better for it.”

District 7

Sara Kohen

“It’s very important that our city officials work to make Omaha a better place for everyone. A mistake that some elected officials and candidates make is assuming they already know what young voters, care about. I think we should do a better job of listening to what young voters tell us is important to them.

Communication and basing policy decisions on facts—not preconceived ideas or partisan politics—is crucial. We need to do the basics, right—things like fixing our roads and collecting trash and recycling properly. We also need to move Omaha toward its potential, creating jobs and providing more opportunities for young people. I will also work to improve transportation options, help our city conserve our natural resources, and insist that Omaha do more to reduce climate change.“

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

*All Omaha City Council Candidates were contacted.*

Other Candidates include:
D1: Paul Anderson, Tyeisha Kosmicki
D2: Juanita Johnson, Council Member Ben Gray, Cornelius F. Williams, David Mitchell
D4: Council Member Vinny Palermo, Sarah Smolen, Becky Barrientos-Patlan
D5: Don Rowe, Patrick Leahy, Kate Gotsdiner
D6: Council Member Brinker Harding
D7: Council Member Aimee Melton