“I am Chris Beutler and I am running for Mayor of Lincoln. “

Announcement Day, September 14, 2006

“I am Chris Beutler and I am running for Mayor of Lincoln. “

With those words I officially kicked off my campaign for mayor yesterday. It was a busy and exciting day, but it’s a relief to have the announcement out of the way. Now I can now focus on talking one-on-one with people and telling them what I will do once I’m elected. I have no reservations about running and I’m glad that Judy and the rest of the family are so supportive.

We booked a small conference room at the Embassy Suites downtown because we really only expected a couple dozen of our closest friends and supporters. In the end, we had nearly 75 people jammed into every corner of the room. It was, literally, standing room only.

I spent a great deal of the afternoon doing interviews with the media. Channel 10-11 and Channel 8 both had good segments on the announcement.

That evening we held a reception at the downtown Misty’s. Again, the room was packed with more friends than I could count and by the end of the evening my hand was sore from shaking so many hands.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is the right decision at the right time. Lincoln needs leadership to build upon what is great about it. We can be a truly great city. We have the people, we have the resources. I have the vision adn the grit to lead.