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first published week of: 02/19/2018
Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert
(City of Omaha)
Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert used her fifth State of the City speech on Friday to emphasize that Omaha is “strong and improving by nearly every measure by which great and growing cities are judged.”
But more important, she said, is how Omahans feel about the city.
“Citizens tell me that they are confident and optimistic, and they are excited about our future,” she said.
Stothert, who is in her second term, also highlighted a number of investments in public safety and streets. She announced the creation of a new day-labor program to help those in poverty. And she talked about online efforts to help residents get information about unimproved streets and see real-time tracking of snowplows.
City Council President Ben Gray called Stothert’s speech mostly spot on.
He pointed to increased funding for the Step-Up summer jobs program and improved police-community relations, which Gray said “is going really well and getting stronger.”
Stothert said the Omaha Police Department the past five years has solved homicides at a nearly 80 percent clearance rate, well above the national average for a city Omaha’s size.
And the department, which is building a fifth precinct in Elkhorn and will grow to 900 officers in 2019, is rolling out hundreds of automatic body cameras by the end of the year.
“It’s always comforting when she starts out with (prioritizing) public safety,” said Councilman Vinny Palermo.
Perhaps Stothert’s biggest announcement was a new program that will connect homeless people and panhandlers with jobs beautifying the city.
The program is modeled after an effort in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Read full story at Omaha World-Herald…