Marilyn Asher
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Marilyn Asher ran for election to the Nebraska State Senate to represent District 8. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Asher completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Marilyn Asher was born in Omaha, Nebraska. She attended Grace Bible Institute from 1969 to 1971 and earned an undergraduate degree from St. Paul Bible College in 1973. She also earned a master's degree from Crown College in 2008. Her career experience includes working as a bookkeeper for Asher Renovations, Inc. and Asher Valley Farms, LLC. She also worked as a draftsperson for architectural and engineering firms for 25 years. Asher later worked as a religious/volunteer coordinator for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services.[1][2]
She has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]
- Crosspoint Bible Church, member
- Nebraskans for Founders' Values, executive co-director
- Protect Child Health Coalition, member
- Protect Nebraska Children Coalition, member
Elections
2022
See also: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2022
General election
Nonpartisan primary election
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Marilyn Asher completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Asher's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I am a native Nebraskan who lives in central Omaha. I am concerned about the future of Nebraska. I know that taxes are necessary in any society, but I am concerned about property taxes in Nebraska. Residential and business property owners need to have confidence that their hard earned money will be spent responsibly on the needs of the community. There must be constant vigilance to manage state funds and to cut programs that are wasteful or outdated.
I am also concerned about the education of Nebraska children. Math and reading scores have dropped dramatically in my district and teachers are exiting the public classrooms. Our children deserve to be taught the basics without the interference of social programs and philosophies that destroy the objectives of the learning to read, write, add and analyze. Parents should be able to choose the school to which their children go and their tax dollars should follow that child. Teachers also need our support when it comes to discipline in the classroom.
Finally, I am in support of law enforcement in Nebraska. Our police and sheriffs are the ones that protect us from infants to elders. We must not take for granted the need for protection. We must enable them to do their jobs with immunity to litigation. I love Nebraska and want to represent ALL District 8 residents in these regards. - Promote Property Tax Relief
- Prepare our children for the future by giving them "Back to Basic" Education
- Protect our community by supporting Nebraska law enforcement
I am personally passionate about the three topics that I mentioned above. I elaborated on them in the first paragraph.
I grew up in Omaha and have seen it change dramatically in the past five years (long after I grew up). The three areas I mentioned (taxes, education and law enforcement) are important areas for families. Without the security of a peaceful, prosperous and educated community, our Nebraska families will want to move elsewhere. I want to ensure that Nebraska values which respect life, liberty, and yes, the pursuit of happiness will grow instead of diminish in the next 4 years.
I look up to my parents and grandparents, as well as aunts and uncles who guided me through my youth. All but two of those people are gone now, but their values have stuck with me all my life. They followed the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I was raised in a family of faith and I found out that faith could be fun. We had a very good time at family gatherings, and because of my parents' character, there was never bad mouthing of relatives, even though we were in close proximity to each other.
My parents were also very patriotic and most of my uncles had served in World War II. That made an impact on me, as well.
My political philosophy is rooted in the Judeo-Christian ethic that formed the U.S. constitution and by which many of our laws were made.
I am a fan of the late Dr. Francis Schaeffer who wrote two books (out of many) that stand out in my mind. They are: "How Then Shall we Live?" and "Whatever Happened to the Human Race?" These books were written in the 1970's and many of the predictions that Dr. Schaeffer made at that time came true because of the social upheaval that has resulted from America's denial of ifs roots. We have migrated from a firm foundation of standards rooted in Judaism and Christianity to the ambivalent quagmire of not knowing whether we are the men or women that we were born to be. We have abandoned our roots. If we were to return to the principles on which our nation was founded, we would find ourselves on solid ground socially, economically, and politically.
Another book, which is not quite as serious, but which is very instructive, was written by a woman named Grace Snyder. She was born in the late 1800's and her parents homesteaded near Thedford, Nebraska. She has written an autobiography called "No Time on My Hands". When I bought the book, it did not look interesting, but as I read it, I began to realize what the Nebraska settlers went through in order to found our state. It gave me a true love for Nebraska and the people that went ahead of our generation to establish this state. Honesty, respect of God and people, humility and willingness to take advice from others, being willing to stand on one's principles--these are characteristics of a good leader. A good leader knows when to take a stand on an issue and when to compromise, always taking into account the wishes of his or her constituency.
I am the firstborn of my family and I have always been a leader in whatever endeavors I have attempted. I am consistent, hard working and make sure that I do my job correctly, while constantly communicating with those around me. I graduated summa cum laude from college and have taken multiple courses of instruction outside of undergraduate and graduate courses, such as courses from Metro Community College (technical writing, Autocad, 3D design). I speak Spanish fairly fluently and I have worked with people of all ethnic backgrounds, various political and religious persuasions and academic abilities. I am also a good multi-tasker and delegator. I respect others and realize that I am no better than my neighbor. I fear God and believe that we are all equal before Him. Government is one of the institutions that God established. He is our Creator and human life is valuable.
The core responsibilities are to introduce legislation that will benefit the State of Nebraska and to be aware of other bills that are being proposed by other legislators. Studying past and proposed legislation is paramount. I will need to delegate that to my legislative aide and be sure that I know where I stand on each issue.
Keeping a calendar that includes contacts with my constituents and listening to them face to face will be as important as answering letters and phone calls. My administrative assistant will assist me in keeping a calendar that is current, especially during the sessions.
I also need to be present to vote on legislation and to be patient when it drags on for hours. I will also try to take care of myself so I can be attentive and aware, while prioritizing what needs to be done and what can wait. It is important, as I said, to be in touch with constituents so they have confidence in my ability to represent them. I would like to be known as a senator who was reliable and transparent, able to deal with Nebraskans and their issues for the time in which I am in office. I want to FAIRLY REPRESENT the people of my district and not focus on only one issue or one group of citizens. We are all equal before the law.
The most significant event I remember was the death of JFK. I was 12 years old in 1963 and I was walking out of art glass at Beveridge Junior High school when my best friend told me of his death.
My first job was as an summer employee in the stock room of my family's warehouse. I worked along with the rest of the employees in the somewhat uncomfortable conditions, filling orders for small drugstores and hardware stores in Omaha. F.M. Arant Company had been started by my grandfather in 1900 and was run by my dad and his 3 brothers. My cousins took over when the fathers could no longer work and it lasted until 2000. I worked there from 1966-1972. It was hot and sweaty work but I learned a lot from my father's employees as we worked together with fans blowing on us.
I mentioned it in my philosophy statement above. I am rereading the book, "No Time on My Hands" by Grace Snyder, the autobiography of a Nebraska settler. She makes me realize that our quality of life here in Nebraska was hard earned by those who first came to settle this state.
When I was a kid, I loved the Trixie Belden mysteries and always pictured myself solving a mystery after I got into an impossible situation and my big brother, Mark, had to get me out of it. I lived in that fantasy world as a child but now I think that truth is more exciting than fiction!
"Oh baby, baby, baby, baby, I love you!"
My husband and I have been blessed with 3 children and 12 grandchildren. I struggle with being far away from those children and grandchildren who are not in Nebraska.
I also struggle with the unfairness of life when I see how other people live in parts of the world where there is no opportunity to improve living conditions. I have traveled extensively in South America and I have seen the poverty of those who are trying to come to our nations to improve their lives. I struggle with knowing that they are seeking a better life for their families but am very concerned about the welfare of our nation because we are not stopping these individuals and our own communities are being stressed by trying to take care of others who are not coming to us legally.
With God as my resource, I have not had some of the personal struggles of addiction that some people have experienced. The governor and state legislature are meant to balance each other out. Ideally, they will agree on basic principles that ensure our freedoms and on the principles put forth in the Constitution of the United States and of Nebraska.
There is a need for healthy discussion and disagreement when problems need to be solved, but the governor has been given veto power. It is beneficial to the state to have healthy discussion and debate, but it is not productive to any lawmaking process for someone to purposefully obstruct the process of legislation and prolonged arguments.
Our greatest challenges will be to make laws under which all Nebraskans can abide. The moral climate in our state is changing. Values are very diverse. Making laws in that climate will be difficult. We will also face challenges based upon the strengths and weaknesses of federal leadership (i.e. southern border policies, inflation, etc.).
The greatest benefit is that the people of Nebraska are the second house of the Unicameral and have more access to their senators than any other state in the Union. ( I have researched that).
One of the drawbacks is that we do not publicly recognize political party differences [that can also be a unifying factor] even though there is an underlying knowledge on the part of the senators as to which side of the issues their fellow senators belong.
On the whole, I think it is more healthy than unhealthy because it eliminates pre-conceived obstacles that other states face. Absolutely. I have not held office, but I have been involved in studying legislation and doing research for bills that have been introduced at the Unicameral. I have been involved in community organizations at an administrative level and I worked for the Sate of Nebraska for 16 years in a policy advising role so am acquainted with the State's role as I worked in an administrative role at the Department of Correctional Services. I would consider my work at the prison good training because I was involved in managing projects with a variety of individuals who at times were not interested in following my leadership. I learned how to work with all kinds of people in that role.
Yes, it is always beneficial to build relationships with those with whom one works. Relationships can only go as far as what common ground two individuals may share, but if that connection can benefit the voters of their respective districts, then it is a good thing. It is not a good idea to form relationships in order to use other legislators and I'm sure that is a temptation once one gets into office.
Following the census every ten years is a good way to review the boundaries that may or may not need to be moved. it is an organizational necessity to make sure every district is fairly represented. I think that the process that has been used up until now is a fair one for voters.
Yes, I would like to be on the Appropriations, Education, Health and Human Services, as well as Transportation and Telecommunications. My background with civil engineering firms and my experience working for corrections gives me an interest in those committees, because of the infrastructure issues and the population with which I worked in the prison. I am also committed to helping Nebraska children obtain competitive education with the rest of the country and the world.
I very much admire several of the women senators at the Unicameral. I have met Sen. Suzanne Geist and Sen. Joni Albrecht and they are able to keep cool during times of stress. They are very level headed and work for the good of their districts, while keeping in mind the overall objectives of the Unicameral.
No, I am not interested in running for other political offices.
When I first started running for office, I attended an Easter Egg hunt sponsored by River of Life Lutheran Church in Benson a few Saturdays before Easter. As I was mingling with the people there, I noticed a familiar face in the crowd. One of the inmates with whom I had worked at the prison was there with a group from a rehabilitative program that the church endorsed. He came up to me and introduced himself anew, and for the first time since I had known him, I was able to give him a hug. (That was strictly forbidden in prison, and for good reason). I found out that J. W. had gotten out of my facility and then was sent back to prison on another crime, but now he was out again and was working with this organization and his family to make something of his life. He had seemed to "grow up" and take life seriously. I very rarely get to see the inmates with whom I have worked and I often wonder if my role as religious and volunteer coordinator made any difference for them while in prison. I do know one thing: they made a difference in my life and I am grateful to have had that time spent in working with them.
"What's harder than getting a pregnant elephant into a Volkswagen?"
"Getting a elephant pregnant in Volkswagen!"
No, I think that is the role of the governor. He is the chief executive officer of the state. Should he be incapacitated, then the Lt. Governor, as leader of the Unicameral, would have the right to exert emergency powers.
Compromise is usually necessary for policymaking. This is true both in family and community relaitiionships. One area that I would not compromise is in the principles that upon which our country was founded and which are contained in the U.S. Constitution.
I also believe in the value of human life and do not compromise my standards on that.
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See also
External links
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 22, 2022
- ↑ Ballotpedia's Elections Team, “Email communication with Marilyn Asher," September 14, 2022
Leadership
Senate President:John Arch
Senators
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Democratic Party (14)
Nonpartisan (2)
