Doug Emery Candidate Anouncement

Thursday, January 27th

Good Afternoon,

I stood in this very building 4 years ago and said that I would consider it a tremendous honor to represent Northeast Lincoln on the City Council. I have found the job to be even more rewarding then I believed it would be and hearing positive comments have stoked my passion even more. So I am officially announcing today that I intend to run for re-election as the Northeast Lincoln / District 1 City Council representative. I have said many times that I live in Northeast Lincoln by choice and not by chance. My life’s experiences are largely formed by what I learned growing up in Northeast Lincoln and I have a 4^th generation attending Northeast today. Running for this position is not a whim or a new idea but rather the continuation of a my attempt to repay those who were so instrumental in my successes and over 30 years supporting issues important to Northeast Lincoln. My agenda remains the same as it was 4 years ago, to try to do what the citizens of Northeast Lincoln want done in the context of how we can advance the city.

This race will not be about the candidates themselves but will be about who will represent Northeast Lincoln the way they deserve. It will be about who is willing to represent NE Lincoln’s agenda Sunday through Saturday and not just Monday’s. In many ways, helping someone solve a problem with the city or a neighbor is more rewarding than the legislative part of this job. When we tried to call attention to the potential lost of a grocery store in University Place, it was a group effort and one that was scoffed at. However due to tenacity and a willingness to stand up for what was right, the community enjoys a neighborhood store and Hy-Vee has a new business model, a win-win for everyone. When we were looking at the closing of two schools it was again the communities that came together along with elected officials who fought the battle to maintain those schools. While it was extremely disappointing to lose Hawthorne, it was a huge victory to see Dawes School retention confirmed. It was an honor to stand with those communities in an effort to keep their neighborhoods vibrant and active. In addition I have worked hard to broker agreements between developers and neighborhood groups, with neighbors to insure the city cleaned up the creek in Taylor Park, and with the neighborhood association on Fletcher to insure a proposed new firing range does not cause additional noise problems.

On the city level we have seen multiple independent polls that have shown Lincoln in the Top 10 for “livability.” We have seen an Arena and entertainment replacement for an aging Pershing Auditorium and Innovation Campus approved during the worst economic times many of us can remember. One of the reasons I am running again is to insure that West Haymarket project comes in under budget and on time as promised. We have a seen a much less partisan City Council and much less public bickering which has lead to a far more effective Council. I believe one of my biggest accomplishments has been in being a moderating force on the Council. We have seen City Government do more things for more people with fewer employees. All of this has been accomplished without raising property taxes and while sales tax growth has been far less than the rate of inflation.. I introduced, and the council passed, legislation to allow council members the opportunity to recuse themselves when there was a real or perceived conflict of interest to provide more transparency for citizens.

The citizens of Northeast Lincoln know me and they know what I stand for. They know they will get open, honest answers and not slick political speak. They know if I say I will do something that I will follow thorough and if you ask my opinion you will GET my opinion. They know I am not afraid to stand up for my beliefs and the needs of Northeast Lincoln even when it is not politically expedient. They know my phone number and address are in the book and that they can call with questions or concerns and that I return calls promptly. They know that I did make take the pledge “to not raise taxes or reduce services” the first time I ran and I will not make it this time. I have proven that I do not need a pledge to show fiscal restraint, but I also am concerned about further reductions in pool and library hours, degradation in StarTran service and even less mowing in our parks. I believe these things are part of what makes Lincoln special and that NE Lincoln residents are concerned about those cuts also. I will continue to be a voice for those who feel they have no voice and to support private/public partnerships that do so much for those in Lincoln who are less fortunate. I hope this will remain an issues oriented race and I hope the citizens of NE Lincoln will give me the opportunity to represent them for 4 more years.

Thank you