Legislature will have fewer women, more attorneys
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BY NANCY HICKS / Lincoln Journal Star
The new Nebraska unicameral — with 22 new members — will look much like the last year’s Legislature: predominantly white and male.
The 49-member Legislature will have fewer women but more attorneys. It will have no additional minorities but at least two more Democrats.
The single house Legislature is non-partisan and party affiliation plays a limited role. But the two parties still work hard to get party members elected.
Going into the election, there were just 11 senators registered as Democrats. So Democrats picked up three and possibly four seats.
“These are young people who are the future stars of the party,” said Barry Rubin, state executive director.
This is the tentative breakdown, with two positions still up in the air.
Republicans: 30
Democrats: 14
Independents: 3
Men: 38
Women: 9
Attorneys: 7
Last winter there were 12 female senators. This winter there will be nine for sure, with two seats undecided.
That’s the same number serving when Lincoln Sen. DiAnna Schimick took office 18 years ago. At one point, briefly, the number of women lawmakers rose to 13, she said. And now back to nine.
“We seem to be regressing. Sad but true,” she said Wednesday, the day after the election.
It’s important to have broad representation for several reasons, she said. Women leaders tend to make children and families a priority.
And though individual women do not always agree on issues, they do bring a common experience.
“I also think we have a gentile effect on the legislature,” she said.
The decline in women senators has one simple cause.
“We don’t have enough women running.” she said.
Nebraskans need to remember the need for broader representation, she said, because in two years the Legislature will lose its two minority members to term limits: Ernie Chambers of Omaha and Ray Aguilar of Grand Island, she said.
“Groups should be working to see we have more minorities and more women running,” she said.
Lincoln voters sent two of the three new women and two of the youngest state senators to the Legislature, Amanda McGill, 26, and Danielle Nantkes, 29.
Northeast Lincoln has a history of sending young people to the Legislature, said Nantkes, pointing to David Landis and Don Wesely, both elected before they turned 30.
Almost half the body will be freshmen and eight of the 12 southeast Nebraska senators will be new.
Term limits, which went into effect this election cycle, are responsible for the unusually high turnover.
Twenty veteran senators, including six in the Lincoln area, could not run for re-election due to term limits. Two additional southeast Nebraska senators will not return.
Sen. Jeanne Combs of Milligan decided not to run for a second term. And Lincoln Sen. Mike Foley, who has two years to serve, will resign to take the job of state auditor.
Gov. Dave Heineman, who will name Foley’s replacement, has not announced the selection process.
One Millard race (between Republican Jean Stothert and Democrat Steve Lathrop) is too close to call and there will likely be a re-count in early December, according to a spokesman from the Secretary of State’s office.
Two of the new senators are not true freshmen. Both Cap Dierks and Brad Ashford of Omaha are former state senators. In fact the two were freshman senators together 20 years ago, Dierks said.
Ashford left after eight years. Dierks, who served 16 years and was chairman of the Agriculture Committee for 10 years, lost the election four years ago when redistricting put two sitting senators in the same district.
The new senators will spend the next few weeks learning about the Legislature and the issues. And they’ll be making many new friends as paid lobbyists and private citizens with causes seek them out.
One of the early calls Wednesday was from Gov. Dave Heineman, who welcomed them to the Legislature and promised a breakfast at the Governor’s Mansion in the near future.
Reach Nancy Hicks at 473-7250 or nhicks@journalstar.com.
***
Legislature
Unofficial election results
SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA
District 2 (40 of 41 precincts reporting)
Dave Pankonin 7,885 (69%)
Jerry Bond 3,517 (31%)
District 24
Greg Adams 6,068 (51%)
Curt Friesen 5,853 (49%)
District 26 (Lincoln)
Amanda McGill 6,192 (59%)
Steve Guittar 4,314 (41%)
District 28 (Lincoln)
Bill Avery 5,205 (57%)
Bob Swanson 3,953 (43%)
District 30
Norman Wallman 8,326 (58%)
Tony Ojeda 6,015 (42%)
District 32
Russ Karpisek 7,117 (59%)
Ron Schwab 4,957 (41%)
District 46 (Lincoln)
Carol Brown 2,253 (45%)
Danielle Nantkes 2,780 (55%)
OTHER RACES
District 4
Pete Pirsch 7,442 (57%)
Tony Sorrentino 5,643 (43%)
District 6
John Nelson 6,614 (61%)
Lynne Sarafian Anderson 4,178 (39%)
District 8
Tom White 4,644 (52%)
Marc Kraft 4,248 (48%)
District 10
Mike Friend, (i) 7,380 (77%)
Robert Wimberley 2,211 (23%)
District 12
Jean Stothert 4,930 (50%)
Steve Lathrop 4,917 (50%)
District 14 (25 of 26 precincts)
Tim Gay 8,232 (75%)
Ian Hartfield 2,679 (25%)
District 16
Kent Rogert 6,034 (67%)
Jeff Bush 2,937 (33%)
District 18
Mick Mines, (i) 7,361 (56%)
Scott Yahnke 5,871 (44%)
District 20
Brad Ashford 6,640 (58%)
Carol Casey 4,747 (42%)
District 24
Greg Adams 6,068 (51%)
Curt Friesen 5,853 (49%)
District 34
Annette Dubas 7,015 (51%)
Greg Senkbile 6,786 (49%)
District 36
John Wightman 5,545 (55%)
Dick Pierce 4,500 (45%)
District 38
Tom Carlson 7,468 (54%)
Wayne Garrison 6,367 (46%)
District 40
Cap Dierks 7,863 (66%)
Tom Noecker 3,990 (34%)
District 42
Thomas Hansen 7,026 (57%)
Marc Kaschke 5,297 (43%)
District 44
Mark Christensen 7,746 (58%)
Frank Shoemaker 5,563 (42%)
District 48
John Harms 5,783 (58%)
George Schlothauer 4,192 (42%)
District 26
Amanda McGill
Age: 26
Party: Democrat
Occupation: College services executive
About this race: This race may have turned on shoe leather. McGill outwalked her opponent, three laps around the district, knocking on doors.
“I got out there and knocked on so many doors, and people were familiar with me and my commitment.”
Replaces: Sen. Marian Price
District 28
Bill Avery
Age: 64
Party: Democrat
Occupation: Political science professor
About this race: “It was hard work; it was talented people. We never lost sight of what we thought was important. We didn't allow the negative stuff to drag us off our message.”
Replaces: Sen. Chris Beutler
District 46
Danielle Nantkes
Age: 29
Party: Democrat
Occupation: Attorney
About this race: Nantkes says she hopes to take a stab at implementing her small business health insurance idea, “allowing small businesses to buy into the state health insurance plan.”
Replaces: Sen. David Landis
District 2
Dave Pankonin
Age: 54
Party: Republican
Occupation: Owns a Louisville farm implement dealership.
About this race: At last night’s Louisville City Council meeting, Pankonin gave up his post as mayor of Louisville so he can focus on preparing for the Unicameral. Council President J. Alan Mueller will serve out his term.
Pankonin also has experience on the school board and City Council, which should serve him well as he moves into a seat long held by Roger Wehrbein of Plattsmouth, who served 20 years and left as head of the Appropriations Committee.
That experience also helped him pick up an early and steady lead in the race. And with that, Pankonin was able to get a decent night’s sleep on election night.
“That excitement is tampered by the fact that we have a lot of work and a lot of learning to do,” Pankonin said of the post-win energy. “I’m focused on working hard and getting organized so we can get off to a good start.”
He expects the upcoming legislative season will be oriented around the governor’s budget proposal, taxes and spending.
Also, Pankonin said, “We will have all these new folks in the Legislature, and with my past experience, I know we need to get to know one another so we can work together and trust each other.”
— Kendra Waltke
District 24
Greg L. Adams
Age: 54
Party: Republican
Occupation: High school teacher
About this race: Adams succeeds Elaine Stuhr of Bradshaw, who was ousted by the Nebraska term limit law. Adams teaches government and economics at York High School. Before she became a senator, Stuhr also was a teacher. She taught at Henderson and Hampton public schools, as well as in the Home Economics Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
— Cara Pesek
District 30
Norman Wallman
Age: 68
Party: Democrat
Occupation: Farmer
About this race: Wallman, who defeated Tony Ojeda of Roca, said he was excited to serve “a pretty neat district.”
The district, which comprises Gage County and part of Lancaster County, has farms, industries, small businesses, schools, a hospital and the Nebraska State Developmental Center.
“(It has) all these issues dear to my heart,” Wallman said.
He said he looked forward to being a part of Legislature made up largely of freshman senators, many of whom he met while campaigning.
“I think it’s exciting,” he said when reached at home Wednesday. “When you get to be my age, you don’t get nervous too easy.”
— Cara Pesek
District 32
Russ Karpisek
Age: 40
Party: Democrat
Occupation: Meat market owner
About this race: Although Karpisek pulled ahead early Tuesday night against opponent Ron Schwab, a Fairbury lawyer, he didn’t begin celebrating too soon. Jefferson County, Schwab’s home county, experienced problems with its counting machines and didn’t have results until after 11 p.m.
Still, Karpisek won with 59 percent of the vote, something he said surprised him, especially after negative mailings targeted him late in the race.
“I was hoping, of course, to win,” Karpisek said Wednesday morning, “but I thought it was going to be very close. I thought it would be even within one or two points.”
— Cara Pesek
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