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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 2000)
Bereuter returns to House, defends agriculture record ■The congressman says Nebraskans can expect changes in health care and foreign policy. BY GEORGE GREEN Doug Bereuter strolled to the podium Tuesday night to accept his 1st Congressional District victory as the Husker’s tunnel-walk song blared in the background. Just as the Huskers frequent ly dominate their opponents, Bereuter, a 22-year incumbent, handed his opponent, Alan Jacobsen, a stinging defeat. With 59 percent of the precincts reporting at midnight, Bereuter won 65 percent of the vote to Jacobsen’s 33 percent. Bereuter, though, was not prepared to compare his victory to the Cornhusker’s domina tion. "I’m not quite as awesome,” he said. But he was ready to cele brate his strong win. Bereuter said he was thank ful and appreciative for all of the help he received in the cam paign. • He also said he was excited to work with Republicans Lee Terry and Tom Osborne. If George W. Bush is elected president, Bereuter said Bush will have three supporters in the House from Nebraska. Bereuter was not nearly as thrilled with Bush’s Democratic opponent, A1 Gore. In his 22 years of campaign ing, Bereuter said he has never competed in a campaign where his political record was dragged through such political mud. Jacobsen has been particu larly critical of Bereuter’s agri cultural policies. Specifically, Jacobsen has said Bereuter ignored the needs of Nebraska farmers when he chose a seat on the Committee on International Relations instead of picking a seat on the Agriculture Committee. Bereuter adamantly defend ed his agricultural record, but admitted that Jacobsen's attacks got under his skin. "There has been a slight degree of irritation in my voice in these last days,” he said. Chuck Sigerson, chairman of the Nebraska Republican Party, said he disagreed with Jacobsen’s criticism about Bereuter’s choice to work on the foreign-policy committee. If the GOP holds onto its edge in Congress, Sigerson said Bereuter would be next in line to become chairman of the com mittee. “The appointment will be very important for Nebraska farmers and Nebraska’s econo my," he said. Bereuter said if he gets the appointment, Nebraskans can expect him to use it to increase agricultural exports, which will help Nebraska farmers. He also noted that if he receives the appointment he The appointment will be very important for Nebraska’s farmers and Nebraska economy.” Chuck Sigerson Nebraska Republican Party chairman will be the first Nebraskan to lead a major committee in many years. Along with increases in farm exports, Bereuter said, Nebraskans can expect changes in the role U.S. forces play in peace keeping missions and changes in health-care premi ums. But for most of the evening, the mood at the Cornhusker Hotel, where Bereuter and Stenberg played host to cam paign parties, was light without many referepf es to specific policies. Lt. Gov. Dave Maurstad joined the optimistic din by praising Bereuter's political policies. The people of Nebraska showed tonight they agree with Bereuter’s positions, he said. Maurstad also said Bereuter's win illustrates that Nebraskans believe he has done a good job for the state thus far. "Nebraskans recognize that he has served his state well,” Maurstad said. Please recycle your Daily Nebraskan. The Comhuskers Doors Open at x:oo PM HmmUI 1115 Moro Manhattan ^j 4/ > ^ Five elected to Legislature BY MARGARET BEHM The votes have been tallied and five senators have been elected from the Lincoln area for the Nebraska UnicameraL In District 27, DiAnna Schimek said she was surprised by a gesture made by her oppo nent after his defeat. “Paul Edwards came over to congratulate me," she said. “I thought it was a classy thing to do. I’ve never had an opponent do that before.” Paul Edwards said he want ed to speak with her after the election results poured in. “I wanted to go over there and thank Sen. Schimek for her participation in the race and congratulate her,” he said. Edwards said he is unsure whether he will consider run ning for an election again. In District 29, Mike Foley said that despite great opposi tion, he was still able to secure victory against James Hewitt “We just went out there and worked our hearts out,” he said. "We fortified all of our work with prayer.” Hewitt had advantages such as endorsements from the Lincoln Journal Star and from the Lincoln and Nebraska branches of the Chamber of Commerce. James Hewitt responded by saying that he didn’t have enough endorsements. Despite the charge of nega tive campaigning, Hewitt said, his campaign was never direct ed against Foley. “I think it was absolutely positive,” he said. “We never mentioned his name in any radio ads or anywhere.” Even though the campaign trail took a negative turn, he tried to avoid it, Foley said. "There was a lot of negative telephone work,” Foley said. “It was very disheartening seeing 1 A I There was a lot of negative telephone work. It was very disheartening seeing the campaign move in that direction. But we maintained a positive approach." Mike Foley newly elected senator the campaign move in that direction. But we maintained a positive approach.” These candidates ran unop posed: In District 1, Carol Hudkins won without having an opponent, along with Ron Raikes in District 25, and District 23 candidate Curt Bromm. EMS, tax amendments fail ■Lincolnites shoot down proposed emergency medical board, tax-levy lid override. BYGWENT1ETGEN A mood blew threw the frigid Lincoln air Tuesday night that was filled with anxious voters and antsy supporters. It was a night of disappoint ments and victories, but most of all relief and realization. A sigh of relief breathed from supporters who blew away or barely brushed off the competi tion. And a leap toward realiza tion from supporters who went to bed with “what if” thoughts. One big sigh of relief was breathed by Lincoln firefighters as the proposed charter amend ment failed by a slim margin. The charter amendment failed 51.4 percent to 48.6 per cent, the Lancaster County Electoral Commission Web site reported. The proposed charter amendment would have creat ed an emergency medical authority, consisting of a five member board, to oversee emergency services. The amendment was put on the ballot after the Lincoln City Council voted 4-3 to turn over the city’s 911 services to the Lincoln Fire Department. Proponents of the Supporters of Ambulance Value and Excellence said the process the mayor used to select the fire department as the next provider was flawed. “The mayor was going to do anything he could to make sure the firefighters got the ambu lance contract,” Phil Young, campaign coordinator for SAVE., said. Dave Engler, the vice-presi dent of Lincoln’s firefighters association, said he expected it to be close, but not this close. “The amendment was writ ten to confuse people,” Engler said. "We now have to start developing a budget based on a one-dollar levy, and there is no way we will be able to provide the same number of services Dennis Van Horn administrative assistant for instruction at Lincoln Public Schools “I know several people who thought they were supporting us but voted for the amendment because they misunderstood what it was saying.” Engler said the emergency medical services have been dys functional for years, and the fire department can change that “If you put the EMS under one organization and under one set of rules, you can start to cre ate a system of teamwork, and that’s what Lincoln needs.” The city’s 911 ambulance service has been contracted to private provider Rural/Metro Ambulance for several years, and this year, its contract expires. Firefighters say an emer gency medical authority to over see emergency services already exists through Emergency Medical Services Inc. The resolution, passed by the City Council in September, renewed EMS Inc.’s contract for four more years. Fire Chief Mike Spadt said independent medical oversight was never an issue. “We came out early in sup port of independent medical oversight, we came before the city council and testified to this, and physicians were in support of it,” Spadt said. If the charter amendment had passed, the firefighters' Jan. 1 takeover would have been delayed two years, and Rural/Metro’s contract would have been extended two years. With the defeat of the char ter amendment, Young said he hopes the fire department will follow through on its promises, and make the ambulance serv ice “better, faster and cheaper," the cliche the fire department and the mayor have used throughout the campaign. One big disappointment of the night came from Lincoln Public Schools when the amendment to override the tax levy lid and grant a spending override failed. Under current law, taxpayers are charged $1.10 per $100 of property valuation. In 2001-02, Nebraska statutes will lower the property tax levy to $1.00. Lincoln Public Schools con tested that the $1 property tax levy would not be enough to balance the district's budget. With the amendment, a three-year maximum levy would have been imposed of up to $1.14 in 2001-02, $1.18 in 2002-03, and $1.22 in 2003-04 per $100 of property valuation. With the failure of the amendment, the Lincoln Board of Education has a lot of work ahead. “We now have to start devel oping a budget based on a one dollar levy, and there is no way | we will be able to provide the same number of services," Dennis Van Horn, administra tive assistant for instruction at Lincoln Public Schools, said. Van Horn said the board may have to look at raising the issue again in May. “I think there is a taxpayer revolt in Nebraska,” Van Horn said. “And since education is funded primarily through prop erty taxes, instead of being spread out across other kinds of taxes, like other states, it seems as if we are asking for more." .£#*&&■ B0wm&m&m ^pflj^^^Pfl® AAA A *. #' A%^M^M^J»|mM ^V%ll^lIlllWyi| J$e# ^ ^ /£|.% s ^ Tell us what you think about issues that affect you 'mSKFiC online # dauvneb^cani -• .^ ... ..., Join DJ-Flaco and dance to American and Salsa Meranga Music!