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In 2021, Sändra Washington, Bennie Shobe and Tom Beckius were elected to at-large seats on the Lincoln City Council after an extremely challenging 2020, which included COVID, the Black Lives Matter protests and the death of Lincoln Police Officer Mario Herrera. The council members dealt with those challenges by reinforcing public health policies and programs, appropriating federal pandemic relief funds, addressing the police/public relationship and emphasizing public safety while working on the city’s most pressing issues of affordable housing and infrastructure development. And, the council and Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird's administration did so without raising the city’s tax levy and holding the line on property taxes, in part because rising property values have created increases in the amount of property taxes collected.
All three are seeking to return to the council in the May 6 city election. People are also reading..
. Because of their work over the past four years, the Journal Star editorial board endorses Washington, Shobe and Beckius. Shobe, the veteran of the trio, is seeking his third term on the council, where he will continue his eight-year effort to bridge the disconnect between city government and its residents and use his knowledge of how the city, under the strong mayor form of government, operates to address issues brought to him by constituents.
In doing so, he will continue to create collaborative efforts between the council, mayor and city agencies to address those issues, as he did, for example, with the recent crackdown on speeding on O Street Washington, who was appointed to the council in 2019 when Gaylor Baird was elected mayor, is prioritizing addressing the economic challenges facing local residents — housing, affordable child care, workforce development and jobs— as well as continuing to invest in infrastructure and public safety, priorities she largely shares with Shobe and Beckius. And she wants to continue the examination of the potential development in the Salt Creek watershed and around Wilderness Park to beneficially shape the city’s growth and look at zoning changes, the use of TIF and other programs to incentivize affordable housing. Beckius is seeking his second term on the council, aiming at addressing Lincolnites’ greatest concern — affordability.
That means continuing to hold the line on property taxes without cutting services via prudent budgeting and management of federal dollars. But it also includes working on policies such as changing zoning to create more affordable housing. Beckius also will continue to seek compromises on development issues, as he did with the floodplain regulations two years ago and a housing development near Wilderness Park.
About our endorsements As with all of our editorial board opinions, our election endorsements don’t necessarily reflect the unanimous opinions of our members but rather a consensus. We arrive at them after reviewing news stories and research. While we consider the board an advocate for the community, our endorsements, and all our opinions, are intended to initiate discussion.
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