Maggie Mae Squires
Maggie Mae Squires ran for election to the Lincoln City Council to represent District 4 in Nebraska. Squires lost in the primary on April 4, 2023.
Squires was a candidate for at-large representative on the Lincoln City Council in Nebraska. She was defeated in the general election on May 2, 2017. Click here to read Squires' response to Ballotpedia's 2017 municipal candidate survey.
Squires was identified as a member of the Democratic Party on the Lancaster County Election Commissioner's list of 2017 candidates, but in April 2017, she announced her intention to change her affiliation to independent.[1][2] City council elections in Lincoln are officially nonpartisan.
Biography
Squires earned a B.A. in philosophy with a physics minor from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a master's degree in management from Doane College.[3]
At the time of her 2017 run for office, Squires owned her own yoga studio, Maggie Mae's Namaste. Her professional experience also includes work as an aide for state Sen. Bill Avery.[3]
Elections
2023
See also: City elections in Lincoln, Nebraska (2023)
General election
General election for Lincoln City Council District 4
Brodey Weber defeated Wayne Reinwald in the general election for Lincoln City Council District 4 on May 2, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Brodey Weber (Nonpartisan) | 59.0 | 6,665 |
| Wayne Reinwald (Nonpartisan) | 40.5 | 4,578 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 49 | ||
| Total votes: 11,292 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Lincoln City Council District 4
Wayne Reinwald and Brodey Weber defeated Maggie Mae Squires and Kay Siebler in the primary for Lincoln City Council District 4 on April 4, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Wayne Reinwald (Nonpartisan) | 31.6 | 2,440 | |
| ✔ | | Brodey Weber (Nonpartisan) | 27.5 | 2,121 |
 | Maggie Mae Squires (Nonpartisan) | 22.9 | 1,765 | |
 | Kay Siebler (Nonpartisan) | 17.5 | 1,352 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 39 | ||
| Total votes: 7,717 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2021
See also: City elections in Lincoln, Nebraska (2021)
General election
General election for Lincoln City Council At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the general election for Lincoln City Council At-large on May 4, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Sändra Washington (Nonpartisan) | 18.3 | 27,603 | |
| ✔ |  | Tom Beckius (Nonpartisan) | 17.7 | 26,612 |
| ✔ |  | Bennie Shobe (Nonpartisan) | 17.6 | 26,463 |
 | Roy Christensen (Nonpartisan) | 16.7 | 25,164 | |
| Mary Hilton (Nonpartisan) | 16.5 | 24,880 | ||
| Eric Burling (Nonpartisan) | 13.1 | 19,746 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 243 | ||
| Total votes: 150,711 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Lincoln City Council At-large (3 seats)
The following candidates ran in the primary for Lincoln City Council At-large on April 6, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Sändra Washington (Nonpartisan) | 16.4 | 20,853 | |
| ✔ | | Bennie Shobe (Nonpartisan) | 15.6 | 19,802 |
| ✔ | | Roy Christensen (Nonpartisan) | 15.4 | 19,555 |
| ✔ | Mary Hilton (Nonpartisan) | 15.1 | 19,200 | |
| ✔ | | Tom Beckius (Nonpartisan) | 13.9 | 17,658 |
| ✔ | Eric Burling (Nonpartisan) | 9.4 | 11,893 | |
| Maggie Mae Squires (Nonpartisan) | 4.5 | 5,695 | |
| Elina Newman (Nonpartisan) | 2.9 | 3,709 | ||
 | Maher Aurang Zeb (Nonpartisan) | 1.8 | 2,259 | |
| Joseph Swanson (Nonpartisan) | 1.7 | 2,223 | ||
| Peter Kolozsy (Nonpartisan) | 1.7 | 2,167 | ||
| Trevor Reilly (Nonpartisan) | 1.5 | 1,970 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 178 | ||
| Total votes: 127,162 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
The city of Lincoln, Nebraska, held a primary election for city council and airport authority board of directors on April 4, 2017. A general election was scheduled for May 2, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was March 3, 2017. The following candidates ran in the general election for an at-large seat on the Lincoln City Council.[4]
| Lincoln City Council, At-Large General Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Leirion Gaylor Baird Incumbent |
20.80% | 22,713 |
| Bennie Shobe |
17.98% | 19,633 |
| Roy Christensen Incumbent |
16.86% | 18,411 |
| Tom Nesbitt | 16.25% | 17,745 |
| Brayden McLaughlin | 14.01% | 15,297 |
| Maggie Mae Squires | 13.96% | 15,246 |
| Write-in votes | 0.15% | 163 |
| Total Votes | 109,208 | |
| Source: Lancaster County Election Commissioner, "Official Final Results," accessed May 10, 2017 | ||
The following candidates ran in the primary election for an at-large seat on the Lincoln City Council.[5]
| Lincoln City Council, At-Large Primary Election, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Leirion Gaylor Baird Incumbent |
18.60% | 15,502 |
| Roy Christensen Incumbent |
16.08% | 13,400 |
| Tom Nesbitt |
15.54% | 12,953 |
| Bennie Shobe |
14.51% | 12,093 |
| Brayden McLaughlin |
13.97% | 11,643 |
| Maggie Mae Squires |
10.04% | 8,363 |
| Lou Braatz III | 6.11% | 5,093 |
| Deb Andrews | 4.99% | 4,160 |
| Write-in votes | 0.15% | 128 |
| Total Votes | 83,335 | |
| Source: Lancaster County Election Commissioner, "Official Final Results," accessed April 18, 2017 | ||
Campaign themes
2023
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Maggie Mae Squires did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
Maggie Mae Squires did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2017
Squires participated in Ballotpedia's 2017 survey of municipal government candidates.[6] The following sections display her responses to the survey questions. When asked what her top priority would be if elected, the candidate made the following statement:
| “ | Placing solar on every rooftop.[7] | ” |
| —Maggie Mae Squires (April 2, 2017)[8] | ||
Ranking the issues
The candidate was asked to rank the following issues by importance in the city, with 1 being the most important and 12 being the least important: city services (trash, utilities, etc.), civil rights, crime reduction/prevention, environment, government transparency, homelessness, housing, K-12 education, public pensions/retirement funds, recreational opportunities, transportation, and unemployment. This table displays this candidate's rankings from most to least important.
| Issue importance ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate's ranking |
Issue | Candidate's ranking |
Issue |
| Environment | Civil rights | ||
| City services (trash, utilities, etc.) | Homelessness | ||
| K-12 education | Unemployment | ||
| Recreational opportunities | Crime reduction/prevention | ||
| Public pensions/retirement funds | Transportation | ||
| Housing | Government transparency | ||
Nationwide municipal issues
The candidate was asked to answer questions from Ballotpedia regarding issues facing cities across America. The questions are in the left column and the candidate's responses are in the right column. Some questions provided multiple choices, which are noted after those questions.
| Question | Response |
|---|---|
| Important | |
| Local | |
| Increased economic opportunities | |
| Instituting a citywide minimum wage | |
| Our entrepreneurial spirit & bright young residents. | |
| Better long-term planning. |
Additional themes
Squires' campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ | I wish to pursue a longer-term plan for Lincoln. We can no longer look five years ahead. Imagine how you want Lincoln to look in 20 or 30 years. We must pursue new and difficult conversations about the direction of our beautiful city. Lincoln needs to craft collaborative efforts that involve multiple organizations and city resources, like those modeled by Innovation Campus. This interface between public and private needs to be pursued even more vigorously. Partnerships with both for and nonprofit organizations can sustain vibrant, diverse neighborhoods that house our newest citizens—refugees and immigrants. Programs that assist incoming children and families deserve support so they can participate in and contribute to our economy. Although we have a fine public school system, Lincoln has not kept up with our growing population, and both students and staff suffer from lack of adequate resources and schools filled to overflowing.
Strengthening our public schools and colleges creates educational opportunities that prepare our children to become leaders and to participate in a strong economy. Lincoln must continue efforts to attract young people and develop the industries that make them want to stay. Educational and training opportunities need to be available to all, especially low-income students. As a fiscal conservative, I believe solid long-term planning is essential to Lincoln’s future. It’s not seeking economic balance to keep building structures that keep our taxes high without return on investment. Solar and wind development promise well-paying jobs, energy savings for businesses and individuals and sustained overall growth. Pinnacle Bank Arena should be covered in solar panels, as well as all new developments, city buildings and schools. Jobs related to sustainable energy must become a permanent part of our economy, and a permanent solution to the damaging (and vanishing) use of fossil fuels. Furthering energy incentive programs for both individuals and businesses, and creating stronger initiatives for preserving water resources are ways in which we can pursue lower environmental impact in our city. Weatherizing and redevelopment offer economic opportunities that create good jobs and save on energy costs— these benefits stay in our community. Legalization and taxation of cannabis is crucial to lowering citizens’ taxes, as well as lowering law enforcement and state legal costs, and the high cost of incarceration. Proven by other states’ examples, legalizing marijuana creates a multi-billion dollar business that dramatically lowers personal taxes and crime, increases property values, creates good jobs and stimulates tourism. I also am keenly aware of the ongoing need people (including children) have to access medical cannabis products rather than spend thousands of dollars on chronic pain management or medications to treat seizure disorders, PTSD, glaucoma, and Parkinson’s disease. Cancer patients should have access to medical cannabis for palliative care or to minimize the negative effects of chemotherapy. Legalization of cannabis is not a moral issue, it is a practical one.[7] |
” |
| —Maggie Mae Squires' campaign website, (2017)[9] | ||
In response to a question from the Lincoln Journal Star about her goals for the city council, Squires said, "I plan to increase funding for schools, roads and vulnerable populations by decreasing tax breaks given to large corporations and developers. I plan to close tax loopholes for big businesses. I’d also like to lower personal property taxes and energy bills by furthering sustainable energy incentive programs for both individuals and businesses."[10]
She listed the following as the city's three most important services: "Schools, streets and roads, parks and rec."[10]
See also
2023 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Lancaster County Election Commissioner, "Final Candidate Listing, Primary Election -- April 4, 2017," March 3, 2017
- ↑ Lincoln Journal Star, "City Council Race: Squires Dumping Democrats," April 25, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Maggie Squires - Lincoln City Council, "Home," accessed March 29, 2017
- ↑ City of Lincoln, "Final Candidate Listing," March 3, 2017
- ↑ City of Lincoln, "Final Candidate Listing," March 3, 2017
- ↑ Note: The candidate's answers have been reproduced here verbatim without edits or corrections by Ballotpedia.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Ballotpedia's municipal government candidate survey, 2017, "Maggie Mae Squires's Responses," April 2, 2017
- ↑ Maggie Mae Squires - Lincoln City Council, "Issues," accessed March 29, 2017
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Lincoln Journal Star, "Maggie Mae Squires," March 24, 2017
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