Haar: We must be wise stewards of our resources
Candidate Ken Haar in five:
I am a grandfather of three lovely children. This has focused my attention on our responsibility to be wise stewards of our natural resources and to exercise good judgment to guarantee a future for all generations to come.
My wife and I moved to an acreage near Branched Oak Lake in 2001. I built our home from the ground up and have lived to tell about it.
I am an avid outdoorsman. Backpacking in the mountains is my favorite getaway. In 2000, I backpacked solo for three weeks along the Colorado Trail.
I like facts, figures and graphs. I get great satisfaction from creating a formula or solution that creates efficiencies in my work and clarifies complicated tasks.
I am a fan of minor league baseball. When I was on the Lincoln City Council, I led the efforts to establish a team in Lincoln. Love the Saltdogs.
Democrat Haar, 65, served on the Lincoln City Council from 1989 to 1997. He is a math and science teacher turned computer technology consultant and systems analyst and owns and operates a small business developing software.
On the campaign trail:
Haar has been going door-to-door and phoning residents of his district. His agreement with his staff, he said, is that he will meet people and raise money, and they will do the rest of the campaign work.
Most people have appreciated it when he has shown up at their doors, he said. Elected officials need to stay in touch.
Haar said he has raised more than $35,000 from 250 to 300 donors.
He has found people are most concerned about affordable health care. One resident told him that after a recent hospital stay she owed thousands of dollars and is worried she will lose her house. Another is concerned that even though his wages are going up, his take-home pay is going down because of increasing health premiums. And some cannot afford health insurance.
Q: Should the state have a role in the (illegal) immigration issue? If so, what specific legislation or bill might you propose?
A. Not allowing state and local benefits to undocumented immigrants is already a state responsibility. But no new state laws are needed.
The state needs to be pressing those in the federal government to protect American workers.
Elected officials have a responsibility to educate people about illegal immigration and not prey on their emotions for political purposes.
Q: How can the state address high property taxes?
For years, the state has been transferring its dollars to cover a portion of local government budgets such as education, which is the primary recipient of property tax. I believe that the state, which is now 50th in terms of state support for education, should pay a bigger share of education costs while placing appropriate caps on local property tax.
— JoAnne Young
I am a grandfather of three lovely children. This has focused my attention on our responsibility to be wise stewards of our natural resources and to exercise good judgment to guarantee a future for all generations to come.
My wife and I moved to an acreage near Branched Oak Lake in 2001. I built our home from the ground up and have lived to tell about it.
I am an avid outdoorsman. Backpacking in the mountains is my favorite getaway. In 2000, I backpacked solo for three weeks along the Colorado Trail.
I like facts, figures and graphs. I get great satisfaction from creating a formula or solution that creates efficiencies in my work and clarifies complicated tasks.
I am a fan of minor league baseball. When I was on the Lincoln City Council, I led the efforts to establish a team in Lincoln. Love the Saltdogs.
Democrat Haar, 65, served on the Lincoln City Council from 1989 to 1997. He is a math and science teacher turned computer technology consultant and systems analyst and owns and operates a small business developing software.
On the campaign trail:
Haar has been going door-to-door and phoning residents of his district. His agreement with his staff, he said, is that he will meet people and raise money, and they will do the rest of the campaign work.
Most people have appreciated it when he has shown up at their doors, he said. Elected officials need to stay in touch.
Haar said he has raised more than $35,000 from 250 to 300 donors.
He has found people are most concerned about affordable health care. One resident told him that after a recent hospital stay she owed thousands of dollars and is worried she will lose her house. Another is concerned that even though his wages are going up, his take-home pay is going down because of increasing health premiums. And some cannot afford health insurance.
Q: Should the state have a role in the (illegal) immigration issue? If so, what specific legislation or bill might you propose?
A. Not allowing state and local benefits to undocumented immigrants is already a state responsibility. But no new state laws are needed.
The state needs to be pressing those in the federal government to protect American workers.
Elected officials have a responsibility to educate people about illegal immigration and not prey on their emotions for political purposes.
Q: How can the state address high property taxes?
For years, the state has been transferring its dollars to cover a portion of local government budgets such as education, which is the primary recipient of property tax. I believe that the state, which is now 50th in terms of state support for education, should pay a bigger share of education costs while placing appropriate caps on local property tax.
— JoAnne Young
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