- Underrepresentation drove the event. A community advocate said North Omaha residents — particularly African Americans — were largely absent from candidate campaign messaging, which motivated the neighborhood association to create a direct line of access between voters and candidates.
- Law enforcement leadership is a top concern. Neighbors said the county attorney and sheriff races, though lower-profile, have an outsized impact on daily life in North Omaha — and voters want more awareness of and accountability over those offices.
- Two incumbents were absent the forum. Governor Jim Pillen and Attorney General Mike Hilgers, both running for re-election, were not on the candidate list.
NORTH OMAHA, Neb. — The Minne Lusa Neighborhood Association hosted an open forum Monday at Florence City Hall for voters to hear from candidates running for office in Nebraska and speak with them one-on-one.
A community advocate said the event was born out of a frustration with how North Omaha residents — particularly African Americans — have been represented in campaign messaging.
“I was just monitoring campaign pages and I was listening to commercials and often times there was a complete lack of representation of North Omaha residents especially African Americans,” said community advocate, La’Von Stennis-Williams…