LANCASTER COUNTY GOP CONDEMNS BEUTLER’S VETO

(Lincoln, NE) – Yesterday, Mayor Chris Beutler vetoed the recycling ordinance and held a press conference, calling members of the Lincoln City Council shortsighted, non­-transparent, and fiscally irresponsible. Yet the Mayor failed to include all of the facts in his press conference.

“Mayor Beutler is bringing Washington, D.C. style politics to City Hall,” said LCGOP Chairman, J.P. Sabby.  “The mayor didn’t get everything he wanted in a recycling ordinance and is now unwilling to accept an ordinance for the greater good of the people of Lincoln and acting immature.”

The Mayor angrily proclaimed that the public was denied input. The truth is, just five days ago, the City Council sat through several hours of public testimony. The council has also had numerous meetings, phone calls and emails regarding this from the public. The ordinance that was passed was the result of public and community feedback, not amendments made in a back­room as is often done by the Mayor.

“The City Council held several hours of public comment on the matter, and included $500,000 for the mayor’s education program he wanted,” continued Sabby. “Governing is about compromise and working with council members for the greater good. Mayor Beutler had the opportunity to be a leader and work with the council on this ordinance, but instead he selfishly vetoed the ordinance because he didn’t get his way.”

With this ordinance the City Council gave the Mayor almost everything he was asking for, including a half million dollars to educate all of us on the merits of recycling. There are other provisions in the ordinance that will give the city accurate recycling data, something the city does not have today. Mayor Beutler is using flawed data which is from 2008 in making his decisions. Clearly the people of Lincoln deserve a mayor working together with the city council for the greater good of our community. Mayor Beutler went on in his press conference to threaten the city council to pass his ordinance or he would have it put on the ballot.

“Mayor Beutler needs to show up and engage in city council meetings instead of skipping them and scolding the members when he doesn’t get his way,” said Sabby. “The fact he threatened the council to do what he tells them clearly shows his misunderstanding of the role of the council.”

“This mayor is clearly angry and makes one question why he continues to be mayor if he is this angry and unhappy with his job,” continued Sabby. “Mayor Beutler owes the city council and the people of Lincoln an apology for his Washington, D.C. style politics. Clearly he is not interested in working with anyone unless the do as they are told and we expect more of our elected officials in Lincoln.”

Lincolnites should be very concerned that we have a Mayor who brought forward his original ordinance that could put us in jail for placing cardboard in our trash. The Mayor said that the half-­million dollars earmarked for education will have little impact because the council removed bans and punishment clauses. If that is true, we call upon the Mayor to use those funds to fix our streets which have deteriorated under his terms in office.