Omaha Charter Convention Continues Tonight, June 30. What happened last week.
Omaha’s Gene Leahy Mall on June 29, 2022 as workers finish renovations for the July 4 weekend reopening. Photo credit Kietryn Zychal/NOISE
By Pete Fey
The Omaha City Charter review convention met for a fifth time Thursday evening. In the humid confines of the city’s downtown legislative chambers, the convention, missing five of its fifteen members after beginning the meeting with only eight, discussed a series of proposed amendments to the city’s charter, mainly focusing on policies concerning the city council and mayor’s office. By the end of the meeting, which took less than an hour-and-a-half, eight proposed amendments were approved by the convention to be sent to the city council, which will vote on whether the amendments should go on the November 2022 ballot for voter approval. One proposed amendment was laid over to the June 30 meeting.
Most of the recommended amendments approved by the convention merited little debate; six of the eight recommended amendments were approved unanimously, while a proposal to eliminate a section in the city charter about city franchises (i.e., like a telecommunications service) passed 9-1 and a proposal to amend the qualifications for mayor passed 8 - 2.
Section 2.02. Qualifications of Council members; Section 2.05. Removal From, and Forfeiture of the Office of Council member; Section 2.06. Filling Council Vacancies - (This item was laid over to the June 30 meeting.) Section 2.10. Council Meetings—Quorum; Section 2.15. Franchises; Section 3.02. Qualifications for the Office of Mayor; Section 3.12. Public Works Department; Section 8.01. Nominations and Elections; Section 8.15. Amendment and Review of this Charter
The agenda item generating perhaps the most discussion concerned the city charter section about filling vacancies on the city council. Scott Blake, a member of the public who had spoken to the convention before about this issue, once again emphasized to the convention his belief that the city council was in the wrong when it allowed outgoing Councilman Rich Pauls to vote for his replacement in 2020 upon announcing that he was vacating his seat for the state legislature.
“The vacancy replacement process is broken,” Blake said, before contrasting the city council’s process with that of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners, which uses an independent appointment committee that interviews and selects candidates.
Blake’s public comment seemed to sway convention opinion on the issue. The convention was considering an amendment written by the governance committee recommending that the city charter explicitly forbid a city council member vacating a seat from voting on their replacement. Convention members, however, were receptive to the idea that an interview process for prospective replacements also be codified within the city charter. At the suggestion of Deputy City Attorney Bernard in den Bosch, the convention laid the agenda item over until the next meeting so that a specific proposal could be written.
There was also an interesting, brief discussion about age requirements for mayoral candidates during debate about a proposed amendment regarding residency requirements for mayoral candidates. Convention member Dejuan Reddick, examining the pertinent city charter section that requires mayoral candidates to be twenty-five years old, asked “Is there a question of ageism by putting twenty-five on there, versus someone not a minor?” Reddick went on to share a story about a seventeen year-old he knows who has just opened up a rolled ice cream business, illustrating that younger people could be inspired to run for mayor, and in an interview after the meeting said “If an exceptional person came along, I would hate for their age to count against them.”
Nevertheless, Reddick’s view did not seem to be shared by the rest of the convention. “I think twenty-five, that’s pretty young…I don’t know how much younger you wanna go,” Convention President Paul Kratz responded to Reddick during the meeting, effectively ending discussion.
Deputy City Attorney Bernard in den Bosch, who serves in a guiding capacity during the city charter convention, admitted at the beginning of the meeting that “We’ve had a number of people who were ill today and have sent emails today indicating they couldn’t attend, so our attendance is obviously down.” Asked to clarify after the meeting, in den Bosch said that “two were out of town, three were sick.” Traditionally the city charter convention has twenty-five members; this one has fifteen. None of the five meetings the convention has had so far have had all of its members in attendance.
The next convention meeting is June 30. The last meeting is expected to be held on July 11 although the convention has the option to meet an additional time on July 14, if needed. All remaining meetings will be held at 5:00 p.m. at 1819 Farnam St. and are open to the public. Use the revolving door, but if it is locked, ring the intercom to the right and someone will let you in.
Minutes and video of meetings, names of convention members, a link to the charter and a contact email can be found on the mayor’s website.
