Daily Nebraskan: Beutler the more capable candidate for mayor
The Lincoln mayoral race has been an interesting one. Sort of.
As one of the few races with people to lose in the primaries last month, we saw Chris Beutler rise to the top over Ken Svoboda, the two remaining in the race, while Roger Yant and Mike Deal were eliminated.
But from the beginning, the Republican Party was running the kind of smear campaign against Beutler that's usually reserved for national elections. He supports same-sex marriage. He wants to raise taxes! Egad! He supports an un-Nebraskan way of life.
But the attacks were things Beutler has no control over on the city level - he can't suddenly reverse a state-wide law just for the city of Lincoln. They might as well have slandered him with accusations of stealing fetuses from the dumpster of Planned Parenthood to make stem cell zombies.
Dirty tactics were pulled out by the state party, but Beutler still prevailed with 47.55 percent of the primary vote.
It's no surprise that our endorsement goes to Beutler. We find him a capable leader who's demonstrated himself well in the Nebraska Legislature.
There, he served on the Appropriations, Executive Board, Legislative Performance Audit and Reference committees.
While Svoboda isn't politically inexperienced, given his time in the city council, we feel that Beutler's experiences enable him to know how Lincoln reflects back out on the state, and can manage it well.
He's intelligent and dedicated and committed to making sure Lincoln continues progressively - both in aiding the economy and the environment.
Instead of talking points and positions, he's given ideas. Already, the strategies are brewing in his head. He wants to appoint project managers to help the city tackle the business problems it may encounter. And, as the incoming working force, the jobs he will provide will be viable for college graduates.
Striking the right balance between his political and private-sector operations has given him a managerial advantage, one that can carry through to the office of mayor.
Svoboda has ideas for jobs, but he can't even keep up with his own city contracts to mow the lawns and has done little but tow the party line.
Election Day is around the corner on May 1. For our city, we feel that the voters are best served under the guidance of Beutler, a capable, competent and intelligent candidate who stands above his competition.
He prevailed in the primaries, and we only hope the city of Lincoln will vote for him to prevail in the general election as well.