Race for Omaha City Council District 6: Brinker Harding vs. Naomi Hattaway

WIND RETURNS LATER THIS WEEKWE ARE OFFICIALLY ONE WEEKAWAY FROM OMAHA CITY ELECTIONSAND 3 NEWS NOW IS SPEAKING WITHEVERY CANDIDATE ON THE BALLOT.TODAY WE’RE LOOKING ATOMAHA CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT SIX,WHICH LARGELY INCLUDESWEST-CENTRAL OMAHA.BRINKER HARDING IS LOOKINGTO BE RE-ELECTED FOR A SECONDTERM, AND IS FACING NAOMIHATTAWAY.AS 3 NEWS NOW REPORTER JONKIPPER TELLS US, BOTH HAVEDIFFERENT APPROACHES TO CITYGOVERNMENT"I THINK THE LAST FOUR YEARSHAVE BEEN EXCEPTIONAL FOR THECITY OF OMAHA.:"COUNCILMEMBER BRINKER HARDINGSAYS HE’S DELIVERED ON HIS LASTCAMPAIGN’S PROMISES -SPECIFICALLY ON KEEPING TAXESDOWN AND PUBLIC SAFETY.HE POINTS TO A NEW ELKHORNPOLICE STATION AND THE EXPANSIONOF THE CITY’S CO-RESPONDERSUNIT, TO AID POLICE WITH MENTALHEALTH SERVICES.HE WANTS TO DO MORE."I THINK THEY DO AN INCREDIBLEJOB BUT WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTERTOO, AND THAT’S WHAT, THEY WANTTO DO BETTER TOO, I THINK THAT’SWHY WE WANT TO SEE AN EXPANSIONOF THE CO-RESPONDERS OR WE WANTTO SEE ADDITIONAL TRAINING."HARDING ALSO HAS PRIORITIZBASIC CITY SERVICES LIKE STREETEXPANSION AND REPAIR, HE’S HAPPYTHE VOTERS PASSED THE BOND, ANDSAYS THEY LOOK TO PASS ANOTHERONE DOWN THE ROAD - TO ENSUREHEALTHY CITY STREETS."I THINK THE CITY WILLDEFINITELY BE IN A MUCH BETTERPLACE, I THINK IT’LL PROBABLY BEPUT TO THE VOTERS AGAIN TO SEEIF THEY WANT TO CONTINUE THATPROGRAM."HIS OPPONENT NAOMI HATTAWAYWANTS TO MOVE BEYOND THOSE BASICCITY SERVICES."WE LIKE TO RELY ON ROADS ANDRECYCLING AND THE THINGS THATARE ESSENTIAL BUT WE’VE BEENCONDITIONED AS VOTERS TO THOSEBEING THE ONLY ISSUES WE TALKABOUT."HATTAWAY SAYS HER EXPERIENCEWORKING IN NON-PROFITS GIVES HEREXPERTISE IN SOLVING THE CITY’SAFFORDABLE HOUSING PROBLEM.SHE SAYS WHEN KNOCKING DOORS -SHE HEARS ABOUT THE NEED FORMORE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES INTHE CITY."TO MAKE SURE THAT WE’REEXPANDING AND TAKING ADVANTAGEOF THE MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCESTHAT WE HAVE AND MAKING SUREOMAHANS KNOW ABOUT THEM."SHE’S ALSO CAMPAIGNING ON MOREACCESS TO CITY GOVERNMENT -SPECIFICALLY ON OVERCOMINGLANGUAGE BARRIERS.

SHE SAYS OVER80 LANGUAGES ARE SPOKEN ANDREPRESENTED IN OMAHA PUBLICSCHOOLS."AND YET ACCESS TO CITY HALL ISCURRENTLY PRIORITIZED IF YOUSPEAK ENGLISH, SO WE HAVE A LOTOF WORK AROUND LANGUAGE ACCESSAND FULLY WELCOMING ANDBELONGING THE DIVERSE THREAD OFOMAHANS THAT LIVE HERE.HARDING, A REPUBLICANREPRESENTING THE CONSERVATIVEDISTRICT, SAYS HE CAN WORK WITHANYBODY ON THE COUNCIL, WHILEHATTAWAY, A DEMOCRAT, SAYSOMAHANS CARE MORE ABOUT HOWCOUNCILMEMBERS CARE FOR THEIRCONSTITUENTS."YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO WORKWITH OTHERS, REGARDLESS OF THEIRPOLITICAL PERSUASION IS, WE’RETRYING TO GET THE BEST RESULTFOR THE CITY OF OMAHA."HARDING"THERE ARE UNMET NEEDS IN THISDISTRICT AND IF WE CAN LOOK PATHE PARTY LINES AND STARTTALKING ABOUT VALUES AND WHATTHEY NEED FROM THEIR CITYREPRESENTATIVE, THAN IT SHIFTSVERY QUICKLY TO, I’LL VOTE FORYOU."HATTAWAYIN OMAHA JON KIPPER 3NNHARDING WON THE PRIMARY OVERHATTWAY WITH 61 PERCENT OF THEVO