Small Businesses Impacted by the Streetcar

Clark Ross, owner of a small business downtown called Mercury. Mercury is a contemporary mid-century cocktail lounge that has been heavily affected by the streetcar construction. 

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
But today I have Clark Ross with me.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Good morning, Good morning. How are you and Clark?

Speaker 3 (00:05):
This is going to be an interesting conversation. I know
it is, because, first of all, I want to tell
you who Clark is. Clark is the owner of a
very cool bar at sixteenth and Harney called Mercury and Clark.
I got to confess I've never been there. However, I
think you are going to be my new best friend
because when I was talking to you the other day,

(00:26):
Clark told me that they have the best old fashions
in town. You had me at old fashion, absolutely, because
that is my favorite drink. I love bourbon, and so
we talked a bit about bourbon. It's your favorite drink too, Abs,
So I am probably going to be a frequent visitor.
Do you know that during the whole time I was mayor,
I think I've told you this before, but now I'm
telling everybody. I never went to a bar. I would

(00:49):
never consider a bellion up to a bar when I
was mayor. In fact, I didn't even want a drink
in public because I thought somebody's going to see me
and go Da da da da. I would only drink
if I was like at a dinner sitting down. I
wasn't acting officially otherwise, I just stayed out of ours.
But you know what, now I can come to Mercury
and visit here, your great establishment, and those of people

(01:12):
that I know that have been there said it's very cool.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
So see I'm advertising.

Speaker 2 (01:16):
Well, I appreciate that. A good time there you go.

Speaker 3 (01:20):
So anyway, Clark is also the chairperson for an alliance
called the Streetcar Impact Alliance, and it was formed in
February twenty twenty six. I'm going to have him talk
about it, but it is a coalition of local business
owners and I think you told me there's about one
hundred and twenty that belong and residents that focus on

(01:41):
the economic and residential health of the Harney and Farnham
Street Quarter during the streetcar project, and you all have
been negatively affected by the construction. I know I have
told this on the air before, but I know downtown
like the back of my hand. I've been down there
every day for twelve years as mayor, and before that

(02:04):
at least three times a week as a council member.
I went down there not long ago to meet a friend.
I was going to meet him about tenth on Tenth
Street for lunch. I ended up in Iowa, and I
know downtown Omaha. It does get very confusing. There's a
lot of barriers, there's a lot of holes in the ground,
there's a lot of piles of dirt. Things change on

(02:26):
a daily basis and it is very confusing. But this
group that you help form, and I think you would
call yourself the chairman of this group. A lot of
these businesses, their estimates are maybe you are thirty thirty five,
forty percent down a lot of businesses along that streetcar corridor.
And you are advocating for some mitigation from the city,

(02:49):
some improvements with signage, some better communications, some there's a
lot of things and that you are really working for.
And I'm going to let you go ahead instead of
me sitting here talking all the time, and talk about
what you are doing, what you want to achieve. But
I guess I have to say one more thing. I
got to start out with saying I am I am.

(03:10):
I tell everybody I will take ownership of the streetcar.
So Clark, you can yell at me all you want
here today, I can take it, but I will take
ownership of it because I did push it through. You know,
it was a number one recommendation of the Urban Core Committee,
which were a lot of businesses downtown. Their number one
recommendation was a streetcar. I pushed it through with the

(03:32):
city council, the City Council approved it. Lots and lots
of people involved, but you know, I said, I will
take ownership. I'm not going to blame anybody else for
the streetcar. However, when we first started working on it,
the streetcar was originally supposed to be completed in twenty
twenty six. Then it was twenty seven. Now it's twenty eight.

(03:52):
So you that are being so negatively impacted, now you're
going to be impacted to twenty twenty eight. Go ahead
and tell us what what is happening in the streetcar,
qarder to you and a lot of smaller businesses and residents.
Tell us your concerns, and then tell us what you've
done and what you want to see happen.

Speaker 4 (04:12):
So we started back in February. Like you had mentioned,
the construction had really reached kind of a fever pitch
where I am downtown and we were just constantly faced
with exactly what you described, an ever changing landscape of
detour signs that may or may not get to get
you to where you need to go. And then we
had seen just a steady decline in business, and so

(04:33):
I guess I was just the first person who snapped,
and I printed up some flyers and I walked up
and down Farnam and Harney and I handed them to
the business owners and I taped into residents bulletin boards
and things like that, just with the meeting, you know,
is the streetcar ruining your life? And so we got
a pretty good response from that. So we gathered people
at Mercury and we ended up packing the house, so
shoulders shoulder wed well over one hundred people there, and

(04:58):
there we kind of there was a little bit of
a venting session as well, but we really wanted to
kind of figure out what the solutions could be. So
we voted on what we wanted to go to the
mayor with as our list of demands as it were,
and there was a mandate. There was a very very
clear line the stand about what people wanted, and so

(05:19):
the kind of the non negotiables in the room, the
things that we weren't even going to bother to vote on,
but we were definitely going to say is that we
need improvement in communication, and we need improvement with safety,
because we had heard numerous stories of pedestrian strikes, people
walking in pits, people falling down, people you know, tripping
over construction material are everywhere. And then of course the communication.
We don't know what to expect or when to expect it.

Speaker 3 (05:41):
And when you have a business like a bar downtown
that you opened probably at four these are things that
are really important, especially for your survival.

Speaker 4 (05:51):
For sure, absolutely, and it has been and it was
just it was a steady decline, like you said, we
had seen We had seen drops right away like twenty
five percent, and then just kept going from there. So
the votes that we came up with were yes, we
want safety and communication improvement, and then parking solutions they
had seen We have seen a lot of parking downtown

(06:12):
kind of be blocked by the actual construction and then
a lot of cases, even if it's not actual construction,
the meters were bagged for traffic redirection and things like that,
and they were really I mean, anybody's been downtown saw
like especially in the beginning, they kind of tore up
everything all at once. So it seems like all the
parking went away at the same time. So we asked
them for some sort of validated parking program. We asked

(06:32):
them for some sort of tax relief. None of us
are tax experts, none of us are legal in that,
and so we decided, well, there's just ask for no taxes.

Speaker 2 (06:41):
Let's see what happens.

Speaker 4 (06:42):
And then the biggest one was a financial mitigation fund,
some sort of you know relief. How that is doled out,
you know, tbd, But basically we need cash in hand,
and we told the mayor, We told the mayor in
the office that, like you and know on certain terms,
if we don't see cash in hand and in these
places in ninety days or so, we're going to start

(07:03):
seeing a lot of places close. And we're already starting
to see some of the repercussions from that. We're seeing
a handful of places closed. We've seen some of the shops.
They are reaching out on social media begging for people
to come down. And it has just the situation just
continued to deteriorate because we still have not received any
sort of financial compensation.

Speaker 1 (07:20):
Okay, now let me ask you this.

Speaker 3 (07:22):
So you said that you had your goals or what
you were going to present to the mayor. Have you
been meeting with the mayor and the mayor's team.

Speaker 4 (07:29):
Yes, So right after we sent that initial list of
demands or whatever you want to call it. Right after
we sent that, then the mayor's office reach out to
us and we sat down and we had a conversation.

Speaker 2 (07:39):
Okay, and that.

Speaker 4 (07:41):
Conversation was they started out by saying, here are all
the things that we've done so far that have been
very helpful, and then here's why we can't do this,
and here's why we can't do that, and so on
and so forth. So they basically said taxes are removable.
They said the parking.

Speaker 1 (07:59):
That were us it would be well legally they could.

Speaker 4 (08:03):
Not, yes, exactly, yeah, and that's a policy thing, and
so yeah, taxes were a non starter.

Speaker 2 (08:09):
Parking.

Speaker 4 (08:10):
They said that they were going to explore a parking
solution which has since kind of materialized a little bit, and.

Speaker 3 (08:17):
That's the lower cost to park in the city's garageous
exactly right.

Speaker 4 (08:20):
So they were rolling out this validate parking program for
a dollar a day for the businesses and there are
three of them kind of dotted up and down the
construction corridor. And so that's underway, which again, but then
the big one, the financial mitigation. They said, just as
a blanket term, it is unconstitutional for the city to
give any money to a private business.

Speaker 3 (08:40):
And I know this that it is unconstitutional to give
public money, taxpayer money to a private business. So I mean,
we've talked about that, but I got to bring this
up when I was still mayor. That's one of the
first things I recognized is there was going to be
hardships for the businesses along the route because there's actually

(09:01):
two phases, because the first it's all these utilities, and
then the second is laying down the tracks. And the
one thing with the utilities that I feel important to
bring up is again, originally it was going to be
done in twenty twenty six. Because of all of this
additional work that mud is requiring, it then was another year,

(09:21):
and then it's another two years. You know, the original
estimate for the mud work was going to be less
than ten million dollars and the project was paying for it.
Now it is forty four million of utility work that
mud is requiring, some of it isn't even close to
the rails. So I have to bring that up because

(09:42):
that absolutely complicated things.

Speaker 5 (09:45):
I know.

Speaker 3 (09:45):
When we first talked, you said, what has changed from
when you first started working on it?

Speaker 1 (09:50):
And to me, that's one of the main things.

Speaker 3 (09:52):
It's all this extra utility work that is causing a
lot of these holes in the ground, that is causing
two years more on this instruction. So I've got to
throw that.

Speaker 1 (10:02):
In there now.

Speaker 3 (10:02):
The one thing we did when I was still there
is we created this hardship fund, and I wanted to
ask you about that. We got donations for it. It
was about one point two million. We knew at that
time that wasn't going to be enough. I it's one
point two is better than nothing, but it wasn't going
to be enough. Now tell me about that. Has that
been distributed and where and has that helped? And obviously

(10:24):
it's not enough.

Speaker 4 (10:26):
So that fund was administrated through the It was administered
through the Chamber of Commerce.

Speaker 2 (10:30):
Okay, so my understanding.

Speaker 4 (10:33):
I was not part of the decision making process at all, obviously,
but the chamber they took they had the one point
two million and they said, let's figure out how we
can make the most out of this. And somewhere along
the line, the calculus was stretching it out along the
whole route is not going to do anybody any real benefit.
So let's focus on the area of strongest impact. And
at the time, Blackstone was going through their utility work

(10:55):
and they were.

Speaker 2 (10:55):
The hardest hit.

Speaker 4 (10:57):
So they decided to distribute that money between Turn and
forty second to the businesses there.

Speaker 2 (11:02):
And it was based on square footage, so that's more.

Speaker 3 (11:05):
That's more midtown in my opinion, right midtown by Yeah,
So they received those funds and from my talks with
the ownership of those companies, it obviously helped.

Speaker 4 (11:15):
I mean, any amount of money coming in the door,
it's going to be a benefit. But like you said,
it was just not quite enough. It bought them a
couple of months, but if we're looking at two or
three more years of this construction, exactly, just it's gone
before you know it.

Speaker 3 (11:30):
Well, my opinion always was a street car. I understand
the benefits and I still support the street car. And
when it's finished, the businesses definitely will benefit from them.
If they're still there, that's the issue, if they can survive.
I always said the street car should not come at
the cost of small businesses and residents who define the

(11:52):
city's urban core. You are what the residents and these
small businesses are what is the urban core? And you know,
I guess my opinion is also a lot of these
there are some big businesses that are along that streetcar route,
some big businesses, and you know, it seemed like it
would be in their best interest too, that they would

(12:14):
not want the small businesses to not survive because of construction,
because they will definitely benefit from it too, and they're
not benefiting from it negatively. Mutual of Omahas Tower isn't
even open yet. I mean, that's a you know, seven
hundred million dollar tower that's very much going to benefit
from the streetcar. Mutual has four thousand employees in the

(12:35):
city of Omaha. So you know, that's what I would
be thinking, is you know, because I'm aware that you
can't give taxpayer dollars to a private business, but is
there the possibility that the current administration could work on
getting more donations that would go in this this hardship

(12:55):
fund that would really help because of the time of
this street.

Speaker 1 (12:59):
Of the.

Speaker 3 (13:00):
Whole construction has been spread out so much. So I mean,
just let me just ask you point blank. I mean
I want people to come downtown. I mean I and
I know the mayor Mayor Ewing is out there saying
come downtown, but that doesn't help much. When you hear
coming downtown can be a real mess.

Speaker 2 (13:18):
It can be a real mess.

Speaker 1 (13:19):
And do you feel like.

Speaker 3 (13:20):
Your business is really threatened then well absolutely if it
comes Undo twenty twenty.

Speaker 2 (13:25):
Eight, absolutely yeah.

Speaker 3 (13:26):
And you've got to, like I said, you've got a
great bar there, right, you're right down from the Orpheum.

Speaker 4 (13:31):
We're the closest door to the Orphan. Yes, and we've
been there for ten years. We're very good at what
we do. We're accoladed on the Food Network and things
like that. I mean, like we do a good job.
And that's This isn't like an advertising campaign. This is
just at night Out has been around for thirteen years.
Block sixteen has been around for Decko is right there, Deco.
I mean, there are so many businesses up and down

(13:52):
that corridor that are well established. Cresa Moon is a
phenomenal example. They were there since nineteen ninety three. They're
being threatened. Everybody's being threatened. And this is not because
this is this isn't what the businesses should take the
risk or something like that, like we didn't we didn't
know that, like this is this is way outside of
our country.

Speaker 1 (14:10):
Have you had to let go any of your employees.

Speaker 4 (14:12):
Absolutely, And when we did an economic impact survey of
all the businesses that responded, everyone that wasn't like a
one or two matchup.

Speaker 2 (14:20):
Everybody had reported layoffs. So we've already seen hundreds of
jobs and that's.

Speaker 1 (14:24):
The last thing you want to see happen too. Now.

Speaker 3 (14:26):
Of course, you said you're meeting with the mayors and
the mayor's team and do you feel like some of
these things that have been put into play you think
they've been very very helpful or do you think there's
been some missteps along the way.

Speaker 2 (14:39):
It's a mixed bag.

Speaker 4 (14:40):
So the things that have been helpful and things that
are better now than they were when we started. They
have doubled their safety efforts, so we've already seen a
lot of safety issues kind of get cleaned up. They
and that's part of like we have a weekly meeting
with the mayor team and that that's one of the
things they go through is that you know, we saw
this this man whole situation that was untenable or something

(15:02):
like that. So safety has improved and we have I
don't think we've seen any pedestrian strikes since we started.
Since those security this is safety inspections increased.

Speaker 1 (15:11):
And that's the top priority.

Speaker 4 (15:13):
Of course, Yes, it would be ideal if people were
not getting hit by cars, and so number two navigation.
Now the signage is still a little woful, but one
of the big benefits that we have now is Apple
Maps and ways are being updated daily with road closures.
And I think up until up until recently, you couldn't
put in an address downtown into your GPS and have

(15:36):
it just get you there. It would invariably drive you
around some block or into oncoming traffic or something like that.
So now that that's being updated, that is great.

Speaker 1 (15:44):
I've experienced that myself.

Speaker 3 (15:45):
But I think you're saying they're making progress, but it
would have been nice if this would have happened these
like these Apple Maps update a long time.

Speaker 4 (15:53):
Ago, of course, of course, And I think you know,
and I think I should point out that Google Maps
is still having some sort of issue with integrating there
and they're working on that. So Google Maps as of
now is not daily updated, but the way as and
Apple Maps are, so just so everybody knows that if
you are trying to get downtown. That's the way to
do it. You can put it in and it'll get
you there. So that's really nice. That's a big benefit

(16:14):
for us. But you had mentioned things that had happened
in the past, and I think that has been a
big problem, is that it's kind of broken the trust
with the rest of the city. If you don't live downtown,
or even if you do, but if you live downtown,
you go down and you hear we're open for business,
and if you were driving around in February, you would
you couldn't get anywhere and you were like, well, what's
going on? Like I don't believe you anymore. And that's

(16:36):
really tough. And so that is something that we've kind
of been talking with the city about. It's like, we
need to rebuild the trust of the people. They need
to trust that they can get down there safely and
have a good time and then leave.

Speaker 2 (16:47):
And that's all that we're working towards.

Speaker 3 (16:49):
Right now, you're still open for a business, but your
message is the city needs to get their act together.

Speaker 1 (16:54):
And do more.

Speaker 2 (16:55):
I think, yes, accommodation, but quickly, well yes, time is
very much of the essence. Like I said, we are.

Speaker 4 (17:00):
We've already seen a handful of places closed, and there's
just going to be more happening if things don't get
better very quickly.

Speaker 2 (17:05):
So from a you know, from what the.

Speaker 4 (17:08):
Citizens can do downtown is not innavigable, it is not immovable.
It is if you put in the address into your GPS,
you'll get there. And that's that is that's great, that's
a good start. So we need to kind of start
rebuilding the trust with our other people.

Speaker 3 (17:25):
Okay, okay, So if you could your group, if you're
you're telling me what you need and you've been very
clear with that and what some solutions are. Some of
these things are helping. Some of these things you really
wished would have happened a long time ago, of course,
to not end up where you are now, with your
your revenues declining as much as they are, but to

(17:46):
be able to move forward. If you could say maybe
three more things that you want to see happen, the
message to the city right now.

Speaker 4 (17:53):
If they're listening, message to the city, please help, I
think you would really hit the nail on the head
that there are a lot of business is that are
benefiting from this, A lot of the larger corporations and
if they can help facilitate the conversations in which those
businesses step up, because if we're not going to be
able to get funds from the city, if they have
just made this blanket statement they won't give us any money,
then we need to find somebody who will. Because the

(18:14):
alternative is, like you said, all these places closing down,
and that is just going to hurt everybody downtown absolutely.

Speaker 3 (18:20):
And you know, I got to say I would love
to have Steve Jensen on from the city. He is
the one that I was out on the road with.
We called it Steve and I did about probably a
PowerPoint about the street car to probably at least six
seven thousand people. I would love to have you on
the show to talk about, you know, for the city's
point of view. But I have to say, Mary Ewing

(18:41):
will not allow any of the city employees are directors
to be interviewed by me, so and that's a real
frustration too, I think all of us, because I feel
like those city employees should be upfront, out in center
and be able to talk to the citizens about what
is going on and what they're doing. But he's not

(19:01):
allowed to do that. So that's disappointing to me, but
I really appreciate you being on. You know, we could
talk a lot about this, and once again I said, I,
you know, I'll take ownership of this, but I didn't
want this to happen. And and because it has spread
out so much longer two more years, I think you know,
what you are asking for is very very reasonable. And
the last thing we want to see is these businesses

(19:22):
suffer downtown. And so I will say what the mayor
is saying, if he could come downtown. You know, you
guys are open for business and you have the best
old fashions in town. So you know you're you'll see me.

Speaker 2 (19:35):
Well, I look forward to that. And yeah, downtown, I'm not.

Speaker 1 (19:37):
Going to take a scooter down there either. That's off.

Speaker 4 (19:40):
We're going to scoot into a town, scooted into a bit.
But no, things are a lot better downtown, like you said.

Speaker 1 (19:44):
All right, thanks Clark, thanks so much for being here.

Speaker 2 (19:47):
To thank you, thank you.

Speaker 6 (19:48):
I'm Peyton Highlock, and we had a very good conversation
about the street car and how it has affected businesses downtown.
I have a talk back here. Let's get to that.

Speaker 5 (20:02):
Hey, good morning, Mayor. Good morning rather former mayor, Actually
you're ad hoc mayor. This streetcar thing has ruined business,
made lives miserable for people that live there. Being trendy
has a very high price, and it's a very small
population of the city and businesses that are in that

(20:25):
area and the rest of the city. You know, we
don't care.

Speaker 3 (20:29):
It's on you, may Well, he said it's on me, Mayor,
I think before we lost him there. But you know
I've said over and over I'll take full ownership of
the streetcar. The streetcar is going to be successful.

Speaker 1 (20:43):
It already is.

Speaker 3 (20:44):
The streetcar is a catalyst for economic development. There is
already about one and a half billion dollars worth of
new development that creates jobs, that brings you know, people
downtown and it by the time it's done, there's estimated
to be at least four billion dollars of new economic

(21:04):
development along the corridor. That is good for all of Omaha.
The way you reduce taxes and keep them down is
you broaden your tax base, and this is a way
to broaden tax base. It's already successful before the rails
are put in it. You know, right now it is.
This is what I'm worried about. And that's why I
had Clark Ross on from Mercury is it is hurting

(21:26):
the small businesses along the corridor and that is the
last thing that I want to see done. And it
or happened, and it has now extended the completion date
two years above and beyond what it originally was. And
this is why I had him on because I wanted
him to be able to say, here's what's happening, and
here's what we need done, because this is not what

(21:47):
was in the original plan. Originally, it was supposed to
be done in twenty twenty six. This year, it was
supposed to be done. It's not trendy. The cities that
have had street cars have been very successful. Our nearest neighbor,
Kansas City, is so successful. It's there are extending it
now and all of those businesses, whether it's residents or
businesses along the route, are going to benefit from it

(22:10):
greatly when it is done right now. We got to
get those businesses through this hard time during construction.

Speaker 6 (22:15):
We're going to go to John on the phone lines
four zero, two, five, five, eight, eleven ten. John, you
are live on news radio eleven ten KFAB with Jean Stoutht,
Good morning.

Speaker 7 (22:27):
Hey, Hi Jean, Hi mean Jean.

Speaker 2 (22:31):
All right me Jean.

Speaker 7 (22:32):
You know I'll own that too.

Speaker 1 (22:36):
That's okay. I've been called worse.

Speaker 7 (22:39):
I know. Well I'm a resident you know, I'm two
one two blocks away from yeah saying this residential area,
like you say, the urban corridor. You know, I don't
know why you call it. It's not like Canna City
where it's flat right. I mean, the street car is

(23:02):
going up and down, and I don't know who's going
to write it in the middle of winter, you know,
And those are my concerns. Is it just for the corporation,
so you know, business people can get to their destination
and come back to the bars and the restaurants downtown.
I don't know anybody that really takes downtown seriously. You know,

(23:25):
it's a downtown old market. Oh yeah, look at the
old buildings, look at the downtown park. You know, no one,
I don't think no one really they go to siege
I you know, they should have made a route around that,
you know, and then come back. You know, it's just
not practical. It just doesn't seem common sense. I think

(23:46):
Al Dabb was the first one to suggest it years
ago in Kanas City. Why not overall? I don't know.
I appreciate your comments like a dream, you know, for
corporate just generate more JAX your revenue. I don't know.

Speaker 1 (24:04):
Well, I told yeah, I appreciate your comments.

Speaker 3 (24:07):
And you know, I mean, there's a lot of people
that feel the same way that you do. But a
vibrant urban core, a vibrant downtown is what will make
or break a city. And you know what we are,
what we have done in the last twelve years. Downtown. Yes,
there are a lot of people that come downtown a lot,
not just for the events at the Arena, convention Center,

(24:28):
in the ballpark and you know the new riverfront parks.
There are millions of people coming down for events down there.
Downtown Omaha is more vibrant than it's been in a
long long time. But the and I've said this many times,
right now, half of downtown is dedicated to parking, and
at any time half is vacant. We are trading parking

(24:50):
downtown instead of having businesses and jobs for people. We
want more people to live and enjoy our urban core.
And that's what we have done so much to revitalize
that area. And it is the streetcar is going to
bring people in around and out of downtown.

Speaker 2 (25:08):
Now.

Speaker 3 (25:08):
Original the plan was to swing the streetcar right in
front of the Arena Convention Center down Tenth Street and
end at tenth and Mike Fahe, But we pulled it
back to end at tenth and Capital because there will
be a future route that will go north, hopefully all
the way up to the airport. So this is the
first route and there will be many that will come

(25:29):
off of it in the future. But you need to
have public transportation in a city and get people in
and around in downtown, and you need to bring businesses
in and replace vacant surface parking lots with businesses. And yes,
it will help those big businesses. I mean, we have
Downtown Mutual of Omaha. You know, Union Pacific, First National Bank,

(25:52):
keywit now is in the builders district over there by
the ballpark. But there's a lot going on in a
lot of new development in that urban core. And that's
what makes our breaks a city. And when a city
is vibrant, the whole city benefits from it. So I
think I'm going to say trust me on this, yet,
trust me. I'm a politician, right, And people don't like

(26:13):
to hear that, But I always bring up the arena
convention center in the ballpark. When we first started talking
about the arena convention Center, people were so opposed to it.
We don't need that downtown. I'll never go downtown When
we first were building the new ballpark, same thing. I
will never go downtown to a ballgame never ever. I
like it at rosen Blad, I'll hate going downtown and

(26:33):
look at it now, I mean sell out crowds all
the time. I bring up the Dodge Expressway. You know
they were going to recall hal dab over the Dodge
Expressway and now they're saying, well, you should have made
it wider, you should have had another lane in each direction.
So I know when things are under construction, it causes
a lot of complications hardships, no doubt, and that's the

(26:55):
last thing I wanted to see with these smaller businesses downtown.
So that's why I had clark on On today and
to say be able to have a voice and say,
you know, city, here is what we need. We need
to survive and we need to get through this construction period.
So understand what you're saying. You're not the only one
that has said that to me. But when it is done,

(27:16):
it is going to be very, very very valuable for
entire Omaha.

Speaker 6 (27:20):
I have a talk back here and this is maybe
not necessarily something you need to comment on, but it's
just in regards a little bit to the parking situation
and a little bit of the help that it might relieve.

Speaker 8 (27:32):
Yeah, this is for the guy that called in that
said that nobody goes downtown and that the street car
doesn't need to be there. Have him try to go
down on a weekend Friday or Saturday or Sunday and
try to get parking. That place is packed. Downtown area
is way too busy. Actually, the streetcar will probably do

(27:55):
some good. Thanks Gene Well.

Speaker 3 (27:57):
I appreciate that comment too, because you know, the city
we can keep track of these things too.

Speaker 1 (28:02):
They can keep track of.

Speaker 3 (28:03):
The restaurant tax, which is on all prepared food and beverage,
so they know if people are coming downtown. They can
keep track of what's going on and who's using their
parking garages, the city's parking garages. You know, there's a
lot of ways the city can tell what the activity
in the downtown area is and it's only increasing. It's
very busy down there, and there is a lot going

(28:24):
on the What you don't want is a vacant downtown
that nobody wants to go to, and that's one of
the main reasons the street car is going in. You know,
just yesterday the city council gave their first approval for
one hundred and forty million dollars soccer stadium that is
going to be right in that downtown area, very close
to where the ballpark is. That's just going to bring

(28:46):
more people in around and out of downtown, and that's
when people are really going to be using the streetcar.

Speaker 6 (28:52):
Speaking of buildings downtown, I'm going to go to the
phone lines here with Tim and then we're going to
go to break and wrap up the show with some
of your thoughts about yesterday's events. So, Tim, you are
live on news radio eleven to ten kfab with Jeen stouth.

Speaker 7 (29:05):
A. Geen, I think you still should be there, but
the Dems riggedda election, but that's another story.

Speaker 1 (29:11):
That's another story.

Speaker 7 (29:13):
I just want to ask if there is any plans
about building another skyscraper downtown, and what's the status on
the grocery store.

Speaker 3 (29:21):
Well, you know, the no, they're not another skyscraper being
planned right now. I mean, we worked really hard to
get Mutual down there. I felt very strongly that a
skyscraper definitely belonged downtown to enhance our skyline now and
forever in the future. And they'll have that big sign
on the top of it saying Mutual of Omaha. But
they could have gone anywhere, really, anywhere in the country.

(29:44):
They didn't belong out in West Omaha. So but right now,
there is no plan that I'm aware of for any
other skyscraper. Now, there is a couple areas blocks downtown
that it's just begging for a new or higher building.
And one is that old up site that we call it,
which is right across the street Communion Pacific, that Hawkins

(30:08):
is using that now as a lay down site, So
you see a lot of equipment there now and they're
using that as a lay down site to do the
bridges for the street car. But and then the old
Civic Auditorium site are two sites that I think are
just crying for taller buildings downtown. So there is two
big sites right now downtown that they could do something

(30:30):
as far as a taller building downtown.

Speaker 6 (30:32):
Did you watch the Masters It all this weekend, Oh
for sure. So in the final pairing, Rory McElroy won
the Masters. But his pair on the final day was
a guy named Cameron Young. And I don't know if
you noticed this, but he had a Mutual of Omaha logo.

Speaker 3 (30:47):
Oh I did notice that, Yes, yeah, and he went,
you know, and that's the most time, most watched time
of the Masters right there that final day, those last
few holes.

Speaker 1 (30:56):
I just thought that was super cool. It is, and
you see it.

Speaker 3 (30:58):
Mutual of Omaha is a Fortune five company. We have
four left in Omaha. We had five. One was ConAgra.
They still have at presence in Omaha, a lot of
employees in Omaha, but their headquarters moved up to Chicago.

Speaker 1 (31:10):
But we want to keep Mutual here.

Speaker 3 (31:11):
And like I said, Mutual could go just like Conagora,
they could go anywhere they want, but we want them here.
Mutual of Omaha belongs here in Omaha. And so I'm
glad they're building that skyscraper downtown. An exciting afternoon. Yes,
oh boy, here we go and guess what it's supposed
to snow.

Speaker 6 (31:29):
Snow on Saturday?

Speaker 5 (31:31):
What that?

Speaker 1 (31:32):
What's going on around here?

Speaker 3 (31:34):
But you know, I know we've talked a lot about
the shooting at Omaha Walmart yesterday left one person did
and I know everybody has read about it, heard about
it on the news, knows the specifics that we know
now because of what the police are letting out after
their investigation, and I just want to say they will
do a thorough investigation as they always do, and as

(31:57):
new information comes out, they definitely well let the public know.
The Almaha Police Department has always been really really found
that being transparent with the public was as important as
it could be. I know there has been some people
that have criticized the release to those two still photos
of the suspect, but a picture is worth a thousand

(32:21):
words because we already I already saw on social media
the police haters on social media are already out in
force saying why didn't the police just use a taser?
Why did they have to shoot? Well, again, a picture's
worth a thousand words, and this was somebody clearly that
put that child in danger, clearly had mental issues, now

(32:41):
we know had mental issues in the past. But I
just want to say this really really re emphasizes the
delicate and dangerous work that law enforcement do every single day,
and when these police officers, whether they're veterans or whether
they're new on the job, you know, they say goodbye
their wife and kids, or their husband and kids in

(33:02):
the morning, or their partner and kids in the morning,
they take off and they may never come home again.
And that's just the facts about police work. Whether we're
talking about Braden Artzer with the Douglas County Sheriff's Department,
what happened with him, the shooting, this that happened just
the other day. You know, all of these things are

(33:24):
just examples of the danger.

Speaker 1 (33:27):
Of police work.

Speaker 3 (33:28):
And you know, when we talk about mental illness and
we talk about the suspect yesterday that is now dead,
I go back to Nico Jenkins and doctor Anthony Garcia,
who are both serial killers out of Omaha, who are
now both in jail. And both of those men are

(33:48):
as nutty as they come. I mean, talk about mentally
ill and they are incarcerated, they are in prison. But
when you talk about these things that happen right here
in our community, these are dangerous, dangerous jobs. Now, one
thing I want to bring up is the worst day
of my entire twelve years as being mayor is when

(34:11):
Carrie Roscoe was shot and killed. If you all remember,
I remember it like it happened yesterday. It happened on
May twentieth. It was a Wednesday, It was twenty fifteen,
because my son was getting married in Florida on Friday,
and I got on an airplane Wednesday morning. I got
off the airplane and my phone was just blowing up

(34:31):
and it was Chie Schmater on the line and telling
me that this twenty nine year old, very young police
officer was shot and killed in the line of duty.
She had a baby that never made it out of
the neon Onate intensive care unit for her to bring home.
She was going to bring home the baby the very
next day. And when we talk about Brayden at Artzer

(34:53):
when he had one bullet lodged in his ballistic vest
just on his side panel, how close that was, because
the opposite happened with Carry Erosco. That bullet that killed
Carry Roscoe went right over the top of her ballistic.
This so a fraction of an inch can make a
difference of life and death. They are trained, they are
trained how to respond to these incidences, but they have

(35:17):
split seconds to make decisions to so I just once
again have to say that was the worst day of
my career. Now I have to bring up that Mayor
John Ewing said the worst day of his career was
when Bud Crawford got his feeding ticket. You know, I
cringed when he said that, because I thought I love
Bud Crawford, he is the best. But a speeding ticket

(35:39):
cannot be the worst day of a mayor's career. This
was the worst day of my career and this could
happen any day, these things with these police officers. So
once again I appreciate what the Douglas County Sheriff's Department does,
and my opinion, they are not an occupying army, but
they work with the Omaha Police Department to help protect

(36:00):
and keep us all safe. And I can't say how
I mean, how grateful that we all should be for
the work they do. They have the opportunity to change lives,
and they have the opportunity to save lives, and I
always want to thank their families for sharing them with us,
because these these can be really, really hard times.

Speaker 6 (36:19):
So Geane, I don't know how much you can speak
on this, but I know that you know Brandon art
Ser He's went to the hospital he's in recovery, what
what might the next period of time look like for
him as he not only recovers but looks to get
back in the field. But then also somebody like the
officer who pulled the trigger yesterday, I mean, what is

(36:40):
the process like for an officer that goes through a
traumatic event like that, right?

Speaker 1 (36:44):
I mean, you don't expect them to just be all right,
I'll see tomorrow on the job.

Speaker 6 (36:47):
You know, there's a lot of emotion and lifelong trauma
that goes into.

Speaker 3 (36:51):
That, absolutely, and they recognize that. And there's there's trauma
that that happens with all the officers that were at
that scene too. Just imagine being the officers that were
on the scene with Carrie Arosco. And you know, I mean,
so they are put on paid leave immediately when there's
an officer involved shooting, not that they are guilty at all,

(37:12):
but they have to do a thorough investigation, and that's
what they do with all officer involves shootings. They will
also make sure that they receive any type of counseling,
any type of help that they need, because again, I mean,
you know what happens with these cops yesterday, for example,
it was the right thing to do. They have it

(37:33):
on body camera what happened, which the body cameras are
there to protect not only the public but the officers.
They will do a thorough investigation, but they will remember
this for the rest of their lives. That is what
they're trained to do. That is what a police officer.
Any police officer may have to do that during the
career their career.

Speaker 1 (37:50):
But if you think.

Speaker 3 (37:51):
About it, and I don't know the true statistics, but
in a police officer's career, it is very rare that
this happens to them, that they actually have to fire
their weapon and they have to kill someone, and they
you know, they don't shoot to meime somebody. If they
shoot their weapons, their service guns, they have to shoot
according to the policy, and they shoot to kill.

Speaker 1 (38:13):
They don't.

Speaker 3 (38:14):
They don't shoot to just maim somebody. Somebody said the
other day on my social media that they should have
just tased this woman. Well, no, this woman was a
danger to that child and there was evidence that she
was hurting that child. So they will be put on
a paid leave. They will do a thorough internal investigation.
I mean Brayden Artzer was twenty three years old. He

(38:34):
was very, very very young, and like I said, a
lot of cops their entire career, they could retire when
they're sixty and they've never fired their service weapon at all.
So that's what's going to happen. And you know, hope
these guys are all doing well. Everybody doing well is
with the our Olmhall Police Department. Thank you for all
that you do along with the Sheriff's Department, all l

(38:55):
law enforcement, and.

Speaker 1 (38:57):
We will be back tomorrow.

Speaker 3 (38:58):
I wanted to get more of your comments about Senator
Kauf her interview talking about taxes and everything else, but
I want to hear what you have to say about
our conversations that we had today too, So please.

Speaker 1 (39:09):
Join us again tomorrow. Thanks for listening, and thanks for
being with us.