Democratic mayoral candidate visits campus
By: Takako Iwatani
Chris Beutler made a stop in the Nebraska Union on Tuesday night as part of his campaign for Lincoln mayor.
Beutler, a former state legislator, was invited to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus to speak during a UNL Young Democrats meeting.
The candidate said he wants to focus his campaign on three main points: safety, education and jobs.
It is extremely important that police, law and health care professionals work well together because they make a difference in people's daily lives, he said.
"We've got a good safety city - good place to raise family," Beutler said.
It's also important to have a quality public schools system, Beutler said, and Lincoln already has a system comparable to other big cities.
Beutler said young people who graduate from Lincoln colleges and universities without enough job opportunities look for work in other cities.
"It is an economic lost," Beutler said. "The city has a potential to make good jobs available."
He said because the UNL campus is located in the city, it is at an advantage when attempting to increase job opportunities, Beutler said.
Adam Morfeld, president of the Young Democrats, former Daily Nebraskan publication board chairman and a junior political science major, said the event was exciting.
Morfeld said the purpose of Beutler's visit was to let students know about the upcoming election and encourage them to get involved in the campaigns.
UNL has 2,500 registered Democrats and about 40 of them show up at the Young Democrats meetings every week, Morfeld said.
Matt Schaefer, president of the Association of Student of the University of Nebraska and a senior political science major, said he enjoyed listening and is excited about Beutler's campaign to be mayor.
David Solheim, a senior economics major, said events like this one provide a great opportunity for students to contact state or city-level politicians.
The event is helpful in giving information to students who want to become knowledgeable about politics, Solheim said.