Nebraska's lieutenant governor resigns from office following physical altercation with sister
September 9, 2014
By Nick Katers
Lincoln, Nebraska: The rotating door on Nebraska's lieutenant governor office will spin once again with the resignation of Lavon Heidemann (R) this afternoon. The resignation also triggers complications for the 2014 gubernatorial election.
Heidemann left office following news of a physical altercation with his sister that resulted in a protective order against him. Heidemann had been appointed in February 2013 after Rick Sheehy resigned the office. Gov. Dave Heineman (R), who is ineligible to run again due to term limits, announced plans to quickly select Nebraska's third lieutenant governor in less than two years.[1]
Heidemann announced his resignation following reports of a physical altercation with his sister, Lois Bohling. Bohling claimed that he grabbed her wrists and pushed her out of their mother's home following a heated argument over their deceased father's estate. Heidemann and Bohling disagreed about a August 13 court filing, which would have stripped him of his ability to farm two parcels of land previously owned by their father. This altercation led to a September 8 order from Johnson County District Judge Daniel Bryan prohibiting Heidemann from contacting his sister, visiting her home or visiting their mother's home. Heidemann stated that he disputed his sister's account of the argument, but the order led to calls for his resignation by state Democratic leaders. During his final press conference, Heidemann stated that he was resigning "for the good of my family, for the Office of Lt. Governor, and for the future of Nebraska."[1]
The former lieutenant governor was running on the same ticket as Republican gubernatorial nominee Pete Ricketts in the 2014 election. Heidemann simultaneously withdrew from the race with his resignation, but state law required Ricketts to select a running mate on September 1, with no provision for removing candidate names from the ballot. In an afternoon press conference, Ricketts announced Nebraska State Auditor Mike Foley (R) as his new running mate. Ricketts is embroiled in a competitive race against the Democratic ticket of Chuck Hassebrook and Jane Raybould.
The following list details the last five lieutenant governors, their tenures in office and why they left the position:
Lavon Heidemann (2013-2014)
- Heidemann resigned from office following news of a physical confrontation with his sister.
Rick Sheehy (2005-2013)
- Sheehy resigned from office following a state investigation of his official phone records found inappropriate phone calls.
David Heineman (2001-2005)
- Heineman became the Governor of Nebraska in 2005, following the resignation of Mike Johanns to become U.S. Agriculture Secretary.
David I. Maurstad (1999-2001)
- Maurstad left office in 2001 to become a regional administrator with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.[2]
Kim M. Robak (1993-1999)
- Robak did not seek re-election in November 1998.[3]
See also
- Lavon Heidemann
- Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska
- Nebraska Gubernatorial and Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, 2014
External links
Footnotes
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