Candidates prepare for election
Old, new faces prepare for Lincoln mayoral race in May
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By Eric Rineer
Staff writer
- --—
Five mayoral candidates are ready to kick
off their campaigns for the May election.
The race includes some new faces seeking
office for the first time, and a couple of old
pros with years of political experience under
their belt.
The three first-time political candidates
are Randall Reichert, a University of
Nebraska law student; Terry Kubicek, an attor
ney and self-employed farmer; and Jim
Wrenholt, the leader of the P Street petition
drive, and owner of Nordic Software at 301 P
Street.
The more experienced candidates - City
Councilwoman Cindy Johnson and former
state Sen. Don Wesely - plan to Continue their
political careers with this campaign?
Reichert, a Republican, said he was eager
to fix problems in the community pertaining
to public transportation, big businesses and
public safety.
But most importantly, he said, a major goal
would be to veto any ideas about developing in
Antelope Valley.
The Antelope Valley Study is a $200 mil
lion project geared toward downtown rehabili
tation and Antelope Creek flood protection.
Reichert’s main concern, he said, was the
cost mentioned in the proposal. He said he
expected about $ 115 million of that $200 mil
lion to be billed to the city.
Reichert also stressed concerns over pro
posals by the city to develop at Wilderness
Park in the Stephen’s Creek area.
“It’s foolish,” Reichert said.
Any development near Wilderness Park
would interrupt the park’s natural process of
soaking up large amounts of water that nor
mally would rush into Lincoln, Reichert said.
“If we develop Wilderness Park, then that
area can no longer hold the water that it cur
rently does,” he said. “So, basically all of
downtown and South Salt Creek neighbor
hood, the bottoms - all that area - will be
under water.”
Reichert said he seeks to bring a fresh per
spective to the mayor’s office.
“My two main opponents - Don Wesely
and Cindy Johnson - are career politicians,”
he said. “They’ve been in the business so long
they have blinders on to other alternatives of
I
how to do things.”
Kubicek, also a Republican, said he, too,
was concerned about numerous developing
projects proposed by the city.
One example, he said, was a proposal in
the Antelope Valley Study that calls for a
rerouting of traffic flow from the city campus
through die Malone Center, east of the Beadle
Center. This would, ultimately, eliminate traf
fic flow at 16* and 17* streets.
“This would put research at the Beadle
Center at risk,” Kubicek said. “It hurts the
integrity of the building ”
Kubicek said the best way to deal with pro
posed developing areas was to conduct a full
study of Antelope Creek, Salt Creek,
Stephen’s Creek, Dead Man’s Run and Beal
Slough.
Another issue Kubicek said he would
stress as mayor would be historic preservation.
One example, he said, would be a full restora
tion of the Old 710 steam engine in the
Historic Haymarket.
Kubicek, who owns a timber-growing
farm, said his experience in policy develop
ment, his managerial expertise and small busi
ness ownership made him a well-rounded can
didate for mayor.
City Councilwoman Cindy Johnson, a
third Republican in the race, said her time
served on the council provided an excellent
political background for her to be mayor.
One of her main priorities, Johnson said,
would be to continue the development and
growth of the city. Her knowledge of the dif
ferent proposals and studies for the city,
gained on the city council, would give her a
head start as mayor, she said.
Johnson said she was the most qualified to
deal with infrastructure issues - such as the
Antelope Valley study and traffic-congestion
problems - that could total up to $1 billion.
One traffic issue in particular will be
decided today when the city council votes on
one of two designs aimed at widening East O
Street.
“Our infrastructure literally has to be a pri
ority,” Johnson said. “And I think someone
with experience is going to set the right priori
i i
ties.”
Former state Sen. Don Wesely, the lone
Democrat in the race, said his 20 years of
experience in the Nebraska Unicameral made
him the strongest candidate for mayor. Wesely
left the Legislature, he said, for the new and
bigger challenge of running for mayor.
Wesely said he supported the Antelope
Valley study, but called for better planning for
that project.
“The Beadle Center should never have
been built where it’s built,” Wesely said.
“Its location makes it more difficult to
move forward with this Antelope Valley pro
ject,” he said. “It’s so close to the Malone
Center that trying to move traffic between the
two is problematic.”
As mayor, Wesely said, he could ensure
stronger planning which, in the long run,
would help Lincoln deal with rapid population
growth projected for the future. Wesely said he
expected Lincoln’s population to add between
50,000 and 80,000 people in the next 20 years.
“People know that I can get the job done,”
he said. “I’m the guy who can pull the pieces
together and move the city forward.”
Jim Wrenholt, the fifth and final candidate
for mayor, said he was running to give people
a greater “say-so” in the government. •
Wrenholt, a Republican, said it was time to
look at big issues such as Antelope Valley and
Stephen’s Creek.
“They’re trying to make the Antelope
Valley decision without letting people approve
it or deny it,” he said. “It’s very important that
we have the consent of voters before we under
take these projects.”
Wrenholt said he wanted the general pub
lic involved in decision-making, rather than
just a few individuals.
“They don’t have to vote on every little
issue, but it’s not up to the developers to decide
the big issues for us.”
The recent privatization of Bryan
Memorial and Lincoln General hospitals, he
said, is a prime example of a select few people
trying to make major decisions for the city.
The two are now known as BryanLGH
Medical Centers East and West.“We need to
send out direct mail in questionnaire form to
every registered voter on a regular basis,”
Wrenholt said.
“I can make sure, we don’t lose our electric
system, too. I want to make sure they don’t pri
vatize it like they did the hospital.”
Chinese New
Year party
plans are set
■ Despite low funds this year,
Chinese students plan to celebrate.
By Veronica Daehn
Staffwriier
Because of a shortage of money, the Chinese
Students and Scholars Association will not have
the Chinese New Year’s bash it had last year.
Instead, a small party will be held Saturday at
6 p.m. in the Nebraska Union to celebrate the cul
tural tradition, which begins today.
Fuming Zheng, former Chinese Students and
Scholars Association president, said a large party
was not possible this year.
“Members will miss the party of last year,”
Zheng said. “But the purpose will be the same
even if the party’s smaller.”
Zheng said the main event Saturday night will
be a videotape of the Chinese New Year celebra
tion held in China, followed by dancing and
games.
Zheng attributed the lack of money to fewer
contributions than the organization had last year.
Previously, the chancellor’s office,
International Affairs, and various Chinese restau
rants in Lincoln donated money he said.
Admission for the event has yet to be decided,
but Zheng said it won’t be more than $ 1.
The Free China Association also held an event
for the Chinese New Year.
Ann Hou, a senior pre-medicine, biochemistry
and French major, said the event took place
Sunday evening.
It was a potluck get-together with students
from Taiwan, as well as Asians from the commu
nity, she said.
Chinese New Year is not a big event here, said
Kay Kwang, a senior finance major, because the
Asian population is small.
“There’s no big official thing because we’re in
Nebraska,” she said. “If we were in Chinatown in
L.A. or Chicago it would be a much bigger deal.”
Zheng said students of all nationalities are
invited to the celebration Saturday night.
“The party is a good chance for Chinese stu
dents to communicate with each other and
American friends,” he said. “I hope students from
other countries will join us.”
RIP
TAYLOR
IN
A FUNNY
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HAPPENED
ON THE WAY
TO THE
BOOM BY
BURT SH EVE LOVE AND
LARRY GELBART
NUSIC AND LYRICS SY
STEPHEN SONDHEIM
ORIOINALLY PRODUCED ON BROADWAY SY
HAROLD S. PRINCE
Lied Center for Performing Arts
Fit., Feb. 19, 8pm / Sat, Feb. 20, 2 & 8pm
Sun., Feb. 21, 2pm
Locally sponsored by Allant Communications
Tickets: 472-4747 or 1-800-432-3231 Box Office: 11 ^Ow-5:30pm M-F
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olro L** C®** Programming *aw«»l»d I* the FiiendtdUad and grans liwi tie NNanSEndoaanenl lor Is Ns, Mid-America NS
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