Municipal elections in Lincoln, Nebraska (2017)
2019 →
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| 2017 Lincoln elections |
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| Election dates |
| Filing deadline: March 3, 2017 |
| Primary election: April 4, 2017 General election: May 2, 2017 |
| Election stats |
| Offices up: City Council & Airport Authority Board of Directors |
| Total seats up: 5 |
| Election type: Nonpartisan |
| Other municipal elections |
| U.S. municipal elections, 2017 |
The city of Lincoln, Nebraska, held a general election for three at-large seats on the city council and two seats on the airport authority board of directors on May 2, 2017. One at-large member of the city council,
Republican Trent Fellers, opted against a re-election bid.[1] Republican incumbent Roy Christensen, Democratic incumbent Leirion Gaylor Baird, and Democratic challenger Bennie Shobe won the three city council seats.[2]
City council elections in Lincoln are officially nonpartisan, but all of the incumbents prior to the 2017 election were affiliated with one of the two major parties. Republicans held a 4-3 majority on the city council heading into the May election. With two Republican-held seats and one Democratic-held seat up for election, the outcomes in May shifted partisan control of the council. Learn more about the partisan composition of the Lincoln City Council by clicking here.
All three of the candidates for airport authority board of directors advanced to the May general election. Challenger Zachary James and incumbent Richard Nuernberger won the two available seats on the board.[2][3][4]
General election
City Council
Although elections in Lincoln are officially nonpartisan, party affiliations were provided by the Lancaster County Election Commission for informational purposes. Incumbent Trent Fellers (R) opted not to run for re-election.[5][6]
|
☑ Leirion Gaylor Baird (i) |
☑ Roy Christensen (i) |
Airport Authority Board of Directors
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☑ Richard Nuernberger (i) |
Primary election
City Council[8]
Although elections in Lincoln are officially nonpartisan, party affiliations were provided by the Lancaster County Election Commission for informational purposes. Incumbent Trent Fellers (R) opted not to run for re-election.[5][6]
|
☑ Leirion Gaylor Baird (i) |
☑ Roy Christensen (i) |
Airport Authority Board of Directors[8]
Although elections in Lincoln are officially nonpartisan, party affiliations were provided by the Lancaster County Election Commission for informational purposes.[5]
|
☑ Richard Nuernberger (i) |
Campaign finance
The figures in the tables below are from the most recent report submitted by each candidate as of June 22, 2017, and they are reproduced as presented by the candidates in their report summaries. No campaign finance information was available via the Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission for the candidates for airport authority board of directors.[9]
| Campaign finance information for 2017 candidates for Lincoln City Council | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Total receipts, election period to date |
Total expenditures, election period to date |
Cash on hand, beginning of reporting period |
Cash on hand, close of reporting period |
| Leirion Gaylor Baird (i)* Leirion for Lincoln |
$86,307.13 | $125,322.33 | $59,593.57 | $11,309.82 |
| Lou Braatz III Lou for Lincoln |
$11,799.72 | $10,354.51 | - | $1,445.21 |
| Bennie Shobe* Bennie Shobe for Lincoln City Council |
$51,430.17 | $50,452.50 | $18,368.88 | $977.67 |
| Maggie Mae Squires* Maggie Mae Squires for City Council |
$11,400.32 | $11,375.19 | $2,111.39 | $31.87 |
| Roy Christensen (i)* Committee to Elect Roy Christensen |
$82,280.64 | $104,906.92 | $47,771.32 | $10,696.99 |
| Brayden McLaughlin* McLaughlin for City Council |
$42,821.76 | $50,596.73 | $8,521.81 | $2,559.03 |
| Tom Nesbitt* Nesbitt for Lincoln |
$46,452.48 | $81,616.96 | $16,561.38 | $6,833.17 |
| Deb Andrews | - | - | - | - |
| *Advanced to the general election | ||||
Additional elections on the ballot
- See also Nebraska elections, 2017
The elections for Lincoln City Council and Lincoln Airport Authority Board of Directors shared the ballot with elections for the Lincoln Public School school board.
Party composition
Elections for city council and airport authority board of directors in Lincoln are officially nonpartisan, but the Lancaster County Election Commission provides partisan affiliations for city council and airport board candidates for informational purposes.[8][10][11] The Lancaster County Republican Party of Nebraska also maintains a list of the Republican elected officials in the county.[12] According to information available via those sources, most of the incumbents prior to the 2017 election were affiliated with one of the two major parties.
| Lincoln City Council, March 2017 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | Officeholder | Partisan affiliation | Seat up for election in 2017 |
| District 1 | Cyndi Lamm | Republican  |
|
| District 2 | Jon Camp | Republican |
|
| District 3 | Jane Raybould | Democratic  |
|
| District 4 | Carl Eskridge | Democratic |
|
| At-Large | Roy Christensen | Republican |
X |
| At-Large | Trent Fellers | Republican |
X |
| At-Large | Leirion Gaylor Baird | Democratic |
X |
| Lincoln Airport Authority Board of Directors, March 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Officeholder | Partisan affiliation | Seat up for election in 2017 |
| Nick Cusick | Independent  |
|
| John Hoppe, Jr. | Republican |
|
| Jim Lauerman | Republican |
|
| Richard Nuernberger | Republican |
X |
| Robert Selig | Independent |
X |
With a 4-3 Republican majority heading into the election and two Republican-held seats and one Democratic-held seat up for grabs, the outcome of the election shifted the partisan balance of the city council. Wins by Democratic candidates Leirion Gaylor Baird and Bennie Shobe swung council control to Democrats.
Challenger Zachary James' win made him the sole Democratic member of the airport authority board of directors. Prior to the 2017 election, the board was divided 3-2 between Republican and independent members.
About the city
- See also: Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln is the capital city of Nebraska. It is located in Lancaster County. As of 2010, its population was 258,379.
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Lincoln uses a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body and the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[13]
Demographics
The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.
| Demographic Data for Lincoln, Nebraska | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln | Nebraska | |
| Population | 258,379 | 1,826,341 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 96 | 76,817 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 84.9% | 87.1% |
| Black/African American | 4.4% | 4.8% |
| Asian | 4.6% | 2.4% |
| Native American | 0.7% | 0.9% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Other (single race) | 1.5% | 2.1% |
| Multiple | 3.9% | 2.6% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 7.6% | 10.9% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 93.3% | 91.4% |
| College graduation rate | 39.6% | 31.9% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $57,746 | $61,439 |
| Persons below poverty level | 13.5% | 11.1% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Lincoln Nebraska election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Lincoln, Nebraska | Nebraska | Municipal government | Other local coverage |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Lincoln Journal Star, "Councilman Fellers Won't Seek Re-Election," June 15, 2016
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lancaster County Election Commissioner, "Unofficial Final Results," accessed May 2, 2017
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedprimaryresults - ↑ Lincoln Journal Star, "2 Incumbents Earn Top Spots in Airport Authority Race," April 4, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Ballotpedia staff, "Email correspondence with Lancaster County Election Commissioner David Shively, March 23, 2015
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lincoln Journal Star, "Fellers Won't Run in Spring 2017," June 15, 2016
- ↑ Lincoln Journal Star, "City Council Race: Squires Dumping Democrats," April 25, 2017
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 City of Lincoln, "Final Candidate Listing," March 3, 2017
- ↑ Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission, "Campaign Statements Search," accessed June 22, 2017
- ↑ Lancaster County Election Commissioner, "Candidates for the May 5, 2015 General Election," accessed March 18, 2017
- ↑ Lancaster County Election Commissioner, "Candidates Who Have Filed for the April 9, 2013 Primary Election," accessed March 18, 2017
- ↑ Lancaster County Republican Party of Nebraska, "Elected Officials," accessed March 29, 2017
- ↑ City of Lincoln, "Government at a Glance," accessed August 26, 2014
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