Holiday Parties & Verizon

Last night Matt and Cynthia Brammeier and Cathy Beecham hosted a Holiday party for me. It was in Matt and Cynthia’s beautiful historic home in the Near South Neighborhood. I’d say nearly a hundred people stopped by and since many of them were from the neighborhood, I had met them before as their State Senator.

Joyce Durand is hosting another Holiday party for me this Sunday. It’s further South, in the neighborhood near the Lincoln Country Club.

One thing that continually impresses me is how much attention people are paying to the issue. Last night, people were buzzing about the announcement on Monday that Verizon planned to open a call center in Lincoln that would bring 800 new jobs to the city. People were genuinely excited and thought that Lincoln should do more to continue development like this.

I’ve spoken frequently about how a great city needs to provide for an exceptional economy. In the Legislature, I was a supporter of the Nebraska Advantage Act, which is one of the factors Verizon officials cited as a reason they selected Lincoln. As Mayor, I will work to insure that employers know that Lincoln is “Open for Business.” By continuing to improve the city’s economy, we will create an environment which will encourage businesses to create good jobs, which will, in turn help create strong neighborhoods.

It is exciting and I look forward to working with Verizon as one of Lincoln’s newest citizens.