Omaha Voters Reelect Mayor Jean Stothert

The Republican incumbent mayor won against Democratic challenger Heath Mello.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • linkText
Omahans can expect four more years of City Hall focus on public safety and the budget — and maybe a new riverfront — after Mayor Jean Stothert easily won re-election.

Stothert won 53 percent of the votes to challenger Heath Mello’s 46 percent in the final unofficial count, with a particularly strong showing in the western part of the city.

“To the community I love, thank you for rehiring me,” she said. “I’ll work harder than ever to make you proud of our work.”

She said her focus during her second term will be public safety, the budget, workforce development, transportation, neighborhood support and making the city more welcoming.

She also promised to reach out to the community leaders and elected officials who vocally opposed her.

Most vocal of those was Sheriff Tim Dunning, who appeared in an anti-Stothert commercial, and the firefighters union, which spent thousands of dollars supporting Mello. Some prominent business leaders had also backed Mello.

Stothert, a Republican in an officially nonpartisan seat, kept the focus on local governance issues as Mello tried to harness anger over President Donald Trump.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • linkText
Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
Special Projects