Mayor Colleen Seng won't run again after serving four years at Lincoln's helm. The reaction will undoubtedly be mixed; Mayor Seng's tenure has proven to be very divisive, with the "haters" being the most vocal. Of the pro- and anti-Seng crowds, I will say this: they are both right. Mayor Seng helped move Lincoln forward in some ways, but in others her leadership style was insufficient to help Lincoln overcome the obstacles laid before the city.
This much can be agreed upon: Colleen Seng knows how to cut ribbons.
Now that the campaign for Mayor will be wide open, I hope Lincolnites can get clear answers to some of the community's most pressing questions. How will the candidates rebuild trust in the Fire Department? How will they improve Lincoln's business climate? Where will Lincoln get the money to pay for the billions (yes, billions) of dollars of projects planned for the next two decades? And so on.
But that's all for later. For now, I want to thank Mayor Seng for her service, and for her wise decision to step aside. Even though I'm not shedding any tears over her departure, I honestly hope she remains involved in efforts to make Lincoln a better place.
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That’s big news, although I’m not too surprised.
I liked Seng more than Don Wesley.
I hope our next mayor is able to build concensus and is a catalyst for new growth.
I’m kinda surprised to be honest. I thought she was more of a reader than she was a ribbon cutter. I’ve never seen a politician read more from a paper than she does. I know that she read from a paper so that she didn’t sound like a bumbling idiot but…at least it would have been from the heart. To me, she only sounds like the female version of Captain Kirk. Pausing…every time….that she had….to look down…at the…page.
Oh yeah. one more thing…
MR. WILSON FOR MAYOR!!!!
I will preface this by saying that I am definitely not pro-Seng. However, present company excluded, most of the people that are anti-Seng really don’t seem to know much of why. The comments at LJS prove that eloquently. I think the “cool” thing to do lately has been to blame all that it wrong in Lincoln on Seng and be done with it.
In reality, it has much more to do with her ineffective leadership, poor communication and leadership within City Council, City Council members with agendas that don’t seem to actually include anything beyond small personal projects (!?!), and a lack of community vision and planning.
I haven’t seen anyone step up yet that seems to be a viable alternative. Ken Svoboda doesn’t do anything for me since he is a part of the City Council problem. I’d like to see someone with some mainstream views, which in this case would be not overly business oriented and not freakishly pro-neighborhood, step in. I think the less City political experience and baggage, the better.
I think the rant is over…
Hey DMB, Monday’s cartoon includes a line about her reading everything. That’s a common criticism I’ve heard of her (and I don’t think you really even phrased it as criticism) but I just want you to know that part of the cartoon is not aimed at you!
So is the money on Beutler to run and take it? I predict so.
Thanks Neal. No it really wasn’t criticism, but I was making fun of her. It’s just something I’ve noticed the last couple years she’s been the mayor. I never have seen a politician look down so much. Now…granted, can anybody think of a “lower” ranked elected official that has to make that many public apperances? So I guess if someone isn’t used to public speaking, I guess it’s understandable that someone would read off a paper that much.
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