John Ewing Hopes to Move from Treasurer's to Mayor's Office

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Scott Vordiez. When Omaha Mayor JeanStothard announced that she was going to run
for reelection, we thought, well, that'll probably curb the onslaught of Republican
conservative people who are like, wait, she's not running, I'm in,
and they'd be falling all over eachother to get into this mayor's race,
which is still about a year away. So then stouther says I'm going to

(00:22):
seek an unprecedented fourth term here inOmaha, and there are a lot of
people going, all right, I'llwait four more years and then then we're
all in. But then the bigquestion was, well, who's going to
get into this race as a Democrat? Mike McDonald no, especially since he
just switched to being a Republican lastweek. Pete Fasterson from the city council

(00:46):
maybe, And another name that wasfloated around is the first major candidate to
jump into this race to take onJean Stothard in next year's city mayor's race.
And he's your Douglas County treasurer whojoins us now in the studio,
John Ewing. Always great to haveyou here on the show. Welcome,
good morning, Thank you, Scott. Always good to be here. Last

(01:07):
time you got into a race thatwasn't treasurer. You were taking on Lee
Terry for Congress and you said,yeah, Lee was around the football team
when I was there. He wasthe water boy and we had a lot
of fun on this radio show withthat characterization. Do you want to just
get it out of the way rightnow? Do you have any such classification

(01:27):
of Gene Stothard? Do you wantto get to in this race? No,
I don't. Okay, Well,then we'll find some other things to
talk about, because that gave usa lot to talk about last time.
So what do you think that MayorStottht has not been doing for Omaha that
it's time to put her on thesideline to keep up the football analogy?
And have you under centerr Sure?Well, I think the first thing really

(01:49):
is the controversy over the streetcar.I believe that should have been taken to
a vote of the people because ofthe large amount of costs that is associated
with that. Also the controversy interms of people being divided about whether or
not that was a worthwhile project forthe City of Omaha to take on.

(02:15):
Let's talk about the streetcar. Ihave serious questions about the streetcar, and
we can talk about some of theseissues here, but I've talked to Meristothard
a few times about that, aswell as j Nodel and others, and
they all say, well, itdoesn't need to go to a vote of
the people as we're not using publicfunds. We're not using tax money for

(02:37):
this streetcar, So why would wehave people vote on something that they're not
paying for This is private money.Well, part of it is private money,
certainly, but part of it alsois the fact that it was controversial.
Part of it also is the factthat it is a huge cost.
Part of it is whether or notit's a good investment. I'm not concerned

(02:59):
about whether or not it's a goodinvestment. I think it can be.
But the other part of that isif the actual increase in valuations and property
tax that are going to be usedin this tiff financing to pay for it
don't rise to the projections that everyonehas, then it very well could be

(03:22):
taxpayer money. But you know,some of the attitude in Omaha, there
are a lot of people who livein this town who feel like, well,
if I don't do that, ifI'm not going to take advantage of
that, then we don't need it. You know, if we ran Omaha
on those who just say, oh, we don't need an arena downtown,
I'm not going to go down there. We don't need a ballpark for the
College World Series. I never goto that thing. You know, if

(03:44):
we just relied on that attitude,we'd never get anywhere. And to play
Stothard's advocate here, and I'm notcalling her the devil. She's in a
position of leadership where it's time forher to make the tough decisions and say
I'm ready. I feel so stronglyabout this for the city of all Meme.
I'm sticking my neck in political careeron the line for this because I
know it's the right thing for Omaha. And that's another reason why we're not

(04:08):
going to put it to a vote. You have an issue with that.
I don't have an issue with hermaking her decision. I would have made
a different decision. Secondly, I'mnot talking about people who may say no,
I'm never going to use it,so therefore I'm not in favor of
it. That is a simplistic approachto things, and I don't agree with

(04:30):
that. I look at the factthat it was controversial, not just because
of people who weren't ever going touse it. I'm not saying that those
people are wrong, whatever their reasonis. I just think if you had
people that were not happy about thestreetcar, and you had a large percentage

(04:54):
of people complaining about it, youhad some discussion about whether or not it
was going to be a public votein twenty seventeen, I think you should
have put it to a public vote. So I just have a different thought
process when it comes to spending atleast four hundred and forty million dollars.

(05:15):
You well, this is you thinkit's four hundred and forty million public dollars.
No, I don't know what thetotal breakdown is. I'm just saying
it's a cost of four hundred andforty million dollars. It's the last that
I saw you keep using the termcontroversial. It's controversial when Maristot goes out
of town for a few days.Should there be a public vote every time
she wants to go to Saint Louisto visit family. No, have you

(05:40):
heard me raise that issue. SoI'm just saying you said it's a controversial
issue regarding the mayor I'm just tryingto see where the boundaries are for controversy
and a vote of the people.Well, let's get right down to it
here. You've kind of said,I think the streetcar is a good thing.
I think it can be done differently. If you're the mayor of Omaha.
Does Omaha need a street car?I don't think they need one.

(06:05):
Can it be something that is goodfor economic development? Potentially? Yes?
Who should be doing it? Then? When you say who should be doing
well, if I want to runa trolley system, then I get necessary
permits. Basically, it's a largerversion of getting the horse drawn carriage of
the old market to take your dateon a Friday night, a romantic ride

(06:30):
that you didn't realize was gonna smelllike horse and it's going to be on
one of the coldest nights of theyear, But you got to do it
because it's romantic, right, It'spart of that tradition. So if I'm
running that business, I'm not gonnaneed public money and everything to do all
this. I just get a permitand I drive people around. Should there
be if this is an economically viablething, a private streetcar business that says

(06:55):
we want to pay to have thestreet car because we know we can make
money on it. Well, ifthat was the option on the table,
I think that would be a betteroption. Yes, how would you differ
from what the mayor has done otherthan the vote? How would you differ
from what the mayor has done toget us to the position where we're going

(07:15):
to have the streetcar. I thinkthere should have been more transparency in the
whole process. Secondly, I thinkthere should have been a vote. Third
I think you have to make surethat everything lines up and it's very clear
to people what is actually happening.I see things like the route changing,
I see things like the cost changing. So those are things that create confusion

(07:41):
for the citizens of Omaha. Oneof my biggest concerns about the streetcar is
actually a little different issue for thecity of Omaha, one that you'd be
called upon to do something about asmayor of Omaha. We'll talk about that
next. John Ewing is with us. He is running from mayor. It's
an officially not partisan race. Isit a fair characterization running from as a

(08:03):
Democrat in the city of Omahah.I think it's the fact that I'm a
Democrat, absolutely, am I aperson that works across party lines? Am
I a person that does things forthe benefit of the citizens of Douglas County
and the citizens of Omaha, regardlessof who I have to work with.
Absolutely, I work across party linesevery day. And my chief deputy position

(08:28):
is a perfect example, my topposition over the last seventeen years that I've
been treasurer. It's been seventeen yearsnow, and we'll talk about some of
that what you've done in the Treasurer'soffice that you're particularly proud of. Sure,
as we talk more, I knowa lot of Republicans have voted for
you time and time again as treasurer. Absolutely, I've had the highest vote
total in twenty eighteen in Douglas Countyby over two thousand votes and in twenty

(08:52):
twenty two by over fifteen thousand votes. And I get a lot of feedback
from Republican Party members who say you'rethe only Democrat I've ever voted for,
or you're a Democrat that I canvote for because I appreciate how you lead.
Yes, is that a compliment ora backhanded compliment? I think it's

(09:13):
a compliment anytime you vote for it, as long as you're voting for you.
You're fine with it. This issuewill come down to if it ends
up being you against Mayor Stothard.Are there enough Republicans who have voted for
both of you that would switch theirvote from stother to Ewing for mayor of
Omaha? Got a long way togo to Then we'll keep talking and picking
the brain of John Ewing. He'sour guest in the studio here on news

(09:35):
radio eleven to ten kfab Scott ForesNews Radio eleven ten k FAD talking a
lot about the streetcar. We werejust talking that. I said, look,
I hope they know what they're doing, because apparently we're getting this thing,
and I hope it ends up workinggreat. And I'll be the first
person to admit years from now,you know what I was wrong when I

(09:56):
criticized the streetcar. This is thebest thing I've ever But let me tell
you what happens when I go toother cities that have some form of streetcar
or like transportation. I have peopletell me I wouldn't get on that thing
at night. And I told youthat one of my big issu issues with
the streetcar isn't the car itself.It has to do with something that Omaha

(10:20):
always has to deal with. We'rea big city. We have our issues
with crime. But a lot ofpeople say, I don't even go downtown
anymore because there's just giant crowds ofpeople just hanging out loitering. I don't
feel safe down there. We've gota group right now in town saying you
can call us, we'll escort youto your car after work at Union Pacific,
that kind of thing after a womanwas attacked there. And have a

(10:43):
hard time believing that that element ofpeople that just want to hang out and
cause trouble aren't going to be ridingthis streetcar. What do we do about
crime specifically downtown? Scott drawing onmy twenty four years and nine months with
the Omaha Police Department, I thinkwe have to do whatever we can to

(11:03):
reduce the fear of crime. Firstof all, I think we have to
look at how do we prevent crime, How do we partner with the people
of this community, How do wepartner with the businesses to ensure that people
are safe. Then I think wealso have to make sure that we are
accurate in what we say. Ithink sometimes there's a fear that is created

(11:28):
when we emphasize things too often,so we have to make sure that we're
doing everything we can to keep peoplesafe. Making sure our great police department
has the resources they need to keeppeople safe. Make sure we have the
partnerships with businesses, the environments wherepeople are going to be, like the

(11:52):
Chi Center, the Orpheum, theater, all of those places. Make sure
we're doing everything to partner with themwhen they have events. If we have
to work with businesses to help keeppeople safe, we need to be willing
to do that, but we needto give our police department the resources they
need to be able to do it. I'm happy to hear you say that.

(12:13):
You know, not every Democrat iswilling to say that in supporting law
enforcement, as you mentioned as aformer police officer here in Omaha, I'm
not surprised to hear you say that. Sure, there might be some Democrats
who are surprised to hear you saythat. Are you worried about being subject
to the same backlash of the localor state Democratic Party when some of their
candidates end up speaking some things thatdon't exactly align with this new level of

(12:37):
progressive politics. Scott, I'm JohnEwing. I'm nice to meet you.
I'm not a politician. I'm apublic servant. I serve the citizens of
this community. I like to tellpeople twenty four years, nine months,
one day, in seven minutes,not that I was county. I am
extremely proud of my career with theOmaha Police Department and how I did policing

(13:01):
and how I ensured policing was doneby the people that were working for me.
I've also been very, very veryinvolved with the Empowerment Network and the
three sixty effort with the Crime PreventionCovenant when we first started that effort about
eighteen years ago. I've also workedvery diligently with the organization to make sure

(13:26):
we really pushed the idea of communitypolicing and doing policing with people rather than
two people. So I think we'vegot an excellent police department. Are they
perfect, of course not. Canthey be better? Of course they can,
And so my goal has always beento help that organization be a great

(13:48):
organization. And that's why I continueto partner with them because I believe they've
made tremendous strides since I started onMarch first of nineteen eighty two. Men
that you've got to do something tocombat the perception of crime. Neither of
us are going to disagree that wehave some issues with crime. Are you

(14:09):
suggesting that it's overblown? Well,I'll give you an example. I spoke
to a group of college students afew years ago, and a young lady
asked me why is Omaha so muchmore violent than Kansas City, Missouri.
At that time, Omaha was havingsomewhere around thirty to thirty five homicides a

(14:31):
year, and Kansas City was overone hundred. So the perception that she
had was that Omaha was a muchmore violent city than it is. So
when I say perception, I thinkwe have to look at what are the
facts. That doesn't mean that wedon't partner with people to ensure safety.

(14:52):
It just means we have to makesure we don't create an unrealistic fear in
our community. Sure, I've alwayssaid that, yes, we have some
issues of crime, but if youremove which is hard for the families who
are victims of this car to do, if you remove the issues where someone
knows someone else and there's a beef, maybe a turf war of some sort,

(15:15):
if you remove all of that crime, you know, I don't think
Omaha is a dangerous place to be. You know those people that say I
don't even go downtown anymore, I'mnot one of those people. I'm all
over this town anytime. Maybe I'mnot hanging out at twenty fourth and Ams
at three am, but you know, I love all parts of this community.
Omaha has always had a problem,though, with giant crowds of young

(15:37):
people who are not old enough toget into the bars, hanging out in
the Old Market in downtown Omaha.And to my original point, I think
they're going to be riding the streetcara lot, and that might put a
damper on the street car. Whatabout that issue, Well, let me
go back a little bit to yourconcern about people who are actually victims of

(15:58):
crime. The things I did gotin response to that is I actually started
the prayer walks that we do forfamilies of victims who have been murdered.
And I did that because I amvery empathetic toward victims of crime. So

(16:19):
I want to make sure that's veryclear. Secondly, I think we have
to make sure that as we're lookingat the street car, as we're looking
at any issue downtown that keeps peoplefrom feeling safe, we need to address
those whether it's a particular establishment thatwe need to address by addressing their liquor

(16:41):
licenses or actually doing things to breakup crowds. We need to do those
things. Yeah, hard to breakup crowds if we don't have a curfew.
This is an often debated issue.Do you would you, as mayor
support a curfew for people under acertain age in Omaha? I would.
I think that would have to besomething obviously working with the city council,

(17:06):
because I'm not going to be theimperior ruler of Omaha and say we're going
to do this. But if thecity council and the citizens were interested in
having a curfew and that ordinance past, I would support it. You just
heard your fellow former police officers,you know you're your former police offer.
You heard your fellow boys in theblue. Just give a big exasperated sigh,

(17:29):
because they'd be the ones out thereand forcing it and telling a group
of people who aren't otherwise breaking thelaw, other than being underage and being
a nuisance. Potentially you guys arein violation of a criminal code right now.
And I got to be the oneofficer to do something about this group
of thirty young people and that's notgoing to end well for anybody. Well,

(17:51):
Scott, one of the things youhave to look at is we have
had success in the city of Omahawould close property ordinances and those things have
helped keep down the violence and someof the other things. Just like we
used to have cruising up and downDodd Street and we put an ordinance in
place that actually addressed that issue.I used to be one of the guys

(18:14):
that worked over time on Friday andSaturday nights to address that particular issue.
I used to be one of theguys that crew to Dodge Street before they
changed it. Then we went toBroadway. So I guess my point is
well written legislation that is designed verynarrowly can be effective and you can enforce

(18:38):
those things. But once again,that would have to be something where,
of course you're going to take theOmaha Police Department and ask them what their
thoughts are, but you're going towork with the city council. You're going
to work with neighborhood groups, You'regoing to work with the police department and
other individuals to make sure we havewell crafted language that can be effective.

(19:02):
If that were to occur, JohnEwing is in this race, as is
the incumbent Mayor Stouth for Mayor ofOmaha. One more longer segment coming up
with John in just a few moments. Who has been your Douglas County treasurer
for the better part of the lastseventeen years? You said, now,
and we'll talk a little bit aboutyour accomplishments the treasurer's office and also a
few more issues related to Omaha andthe potential of you being mayor. What

(19:26):
is your campaign website? John Ewingfor Omaha dot com. We'll talk more
with John next. Our guest inthe studio has been your Douglas County treasurer
for about seventeen years now and nowwould like to be Mayor of Omaha.
As John Ewing, as a Democrat, is opposing Republican Mayor Jean Stouth.
Omaha City race is officially nonpartisan,but I don't hear either candidate bristoling at

(19:48):
the political tag applied though, asJohn mentioned earlier, I've gotten a lot
of Republican votes for treasurer and Ilike working across party lines. So are
you done being treasurer? Then youjust like I don't want anything more to
do with this whole thing. Idon't like standing in line at the DMV
to get into work. Do youhave to stand in line at the DMV

(20:11):
to get into work? And thenyou come up here like this is my
office? Like you didn't ring theright paperwork in here? Well, first
of all, we're not the DMBwhere the treasurer's are. No, but
it's all in the same building.You get to No, not anymore.
Oh, that's right. We didseparate those, yes, but no,
I'm not done being the treasurer.I've served the citizens of this community for

(20:32):
forty two years, and my goalis to serve the citizens for at least
fifty years, and so I'm goingto continue to work toward that goal.
And that's whether I'm elected mayor orI remain Douglas County Treasurer. I am
absolutely committed to this community that Iwas born and raised in, that I've

(20:55):
grown up in, that I've hadforty two years of experience, and I
love public service. That's why Imake sure I clarify I'm not a politician.
I'm a public servant. I'm anuts and boats guy that gets the
job done. Yeah, treasurer isa lot of numbers, you know,
And I think that it's funny thatbecause we go to the DMV, which

(21:18):
for a long time is in thesame offices, and we make our checks
out to you. You know,that's only if you want to. I
don't require it. Suddenly is like, you know, I had to stand
in line too long of the DMV. I'm gonna tell John Ewing about that
I didn't like the picture of mydriver's license. This is John Ewing's fault.
So what are some things that you'remost proud of as to what you've
done for the county as treasurer forthese seventeen years. One of the things

(21:41):
I always do is I remind peopleof the three promises I made when I
ran for office, because I madethose promises with the intent of keeping those
The first one is that I wouldrestore public trust. I've always shared the
truth with the members of this communitybecause I've believe that's critically important when you're

(22:02):
in an office of trust. Thesecond thing is I told people we would
utilize technology to serve you better.When I started as Douglas County Treasurer,
you actually had lines around the buildingsometimes where people were waiting over an hour
to register a vehicle. Part ofthat was there were no other options.

(22:23):
You could mel it in or youcould stand in line, and about five
percent of the people actually melt itin back then, so you had ninety
five percent of the people in line. That may seem like a large number,
and it really is when you startlooking at I remember forty five thousand
to fifty thousand vehicles being registered insome months, so all those people are

(22:49):
standing in line. Now. Whatwe've been able to do is reduce that
waight time by having upwards of fiftypercent actually utilizing the technology we put in
place, like online renewals, telephonerenewals, a greater emphasis on things like
dropboxes, drive throughs, and alsobeing able to utilize the mail more effectively.

(23:15):
So that's what we've done because Idon't believe we're government as usual,
Scott. We are a public service, customer service organization. And to continue
to get that message to my people, I even changed what we call our
offices from branches to customer service centers. I reorganized our phone and real estate

(23:37):
division into the customer Service division,always looking at making sure people understand that
our goal is customer service and weget ten or fifteen compliments a week,
which is pretty unusual for any governmentoffice, let alone a government office where
you're actually collecting large sums of money. I remind people, however, we

(24:03):
don't set the rates. We justcollect. Fine. There was an issue
a couple of years ago with someschool districts. Yes, and I don't
know how much. This is stilltied up in various forms of litigation,
but if memory serves, there wassome money that went through the Treasurer's office
that the school districts felt they shouldhave gotten more of than they did,

(24:23):
and there was a lawsuit involved.Here. You were in the middle of
all of this. What happened withthat issue? Where did things stand right
now? And I know west Sidewas not happy. Sure, I'll tell
you first of all that that wasan issue that started about sixty two years
ago. When we became aware ofit, we talked to our County Attorney's

(24:44):
office and we made sure we putin the corrective action to fix it going
forward. The other thing we didwas we actually sat down with the City
of Omaha, we sat down withthe Douglas County Board and all of the
school districts. We were able towork out a settlement with the county and

(25:07):
the city. With all of thoseschool districts, Westside cooperated with the settlement
that we had between the city andthe county. Millard cooperated, Rosson cooperated,
Elkhorn cooperated all of those organizations.They're elected school board members, they're

(25:30):
elected Douglas County commissioners, elected citycouncil members actually approved the settlement. The
only organization out of all of thosethat did not was ops. They felt
like they were not responsible and justfelt like they should be able to keep

(25:52):
the money that they had gotten andnot participate in the settlement. So that's
what the lawsuit is about. It'snot about anything with the Treasurer's office or
anything with the City of Omaha orthe other school districts. It's just West
Side is looking to have oldps participatein the settlement. Talking here with Douglas
County Treasurer John Ewing, who islooking to move on to the mayor's office.

(26:17):
As we mentioned earlier in this conversation, this election is going to be
a referendum on how many people havepreviously voted for Meyristother who won three years
ago in a landslide over r Janeary. And people who have voted for her
time and time again, and theyvoted for you time and time again.
Absolutely, well, something's got togive. What indication do you have that

(26:37):
there are enough people who have votedfor both of you in these various offices
that would rather vote for you thanher in the mayor's rays and take their
support away from Meyristoth. I believesome people will do that. I believe
I will maintain my base as well. I believe I appealed to independent voters
as well, so I believe Ihave a strong solid base of support based

(27:03):
on the leadership that I provided tothe citizens of this community for forty two
years. What issues beyond what we'vetalked about with the streetcar and crime do
you see as what you would mostlike to really wrap your arms around as
mayor of Omaha. I think Iwant to ensure that we have a more
comprehensive development throughout the city so thatwe can take and create opportunities in north

(27:33):
south central Omaha, so those peoplehave an opportunity to have employment where they
live closer to where they live,especially with the transportation issues that some people
encounter in the city of Omaha.We have a lot of people who really
don't have that reliable transportation, andif we can get the jobs where they

(28:00):
are, then we can help ourbusinesses who need people be able to have
a match between those people and thejobs that are available. I also would
look at doing things to make surewe create an environment where our young people
want to stay in Omaha, Nebraska, not romanticize some other city and go

(28:22):
away. We need to keep ouryoung people here in Omaha. How do
we do that well? I thinkwe do that by creating job opportunities.
I think we do that by creatingpartnerships with our educational institutions University of Nebraska
at Omaha, create University, MetropolitanCommunity College. We do that by creating

(28:47):
opportunities for internships while students are inhigh school. We do that by having
dual credit enrollment while they're in highschool, so things that really begin to
tie them to this city and theysee a future here. Last issue for
you, John, Anyone who hasfollowed you on Facebook over the last several

(29:07):
years has seen a variety of videosand pictures of you posing while getting as
big as lou for Rigno. NowI've had friends of mine suddenly devote themselves
to just getting bulked, and it'susually after something horrible happens in their lives.
What happened to you that caused youto say, all right, I'm
done with that and now I'm justgonna start eating barbells. Nothing happened to

(29:34):
me, Scott. But one ofthe things that I've seen is a lot
of men dying too early in life. Men dying in their fifties because they
didn't get their exams, and sothey developed cancer and it spread because they
didn't get checked out. Men notgetting their blood pressure checked, men not

(29:56):
getting physical examinations every year. Andso I decided, because I care about
my health and I care about thehealth of other people, that I wanted
to try to inspire people to behealthier. It's really nothing else. I
know some people may think it is, but it's really nothing then trying to

(30:17):
inspire people to be healthier. That'swhy I did the two articles in the
World Herald. That's why I'm onthe Charles Drew Health Center Board, That's
why on the Nebraska Methodist College Board. Because I want to see people be
healthier and be able to live along, productive life. Because even if
you live a long time. Ifyou're not healthy, then you don't have

(30:42):
the quality of life. So that'swhat my motivation is, trying to encourage
people. Everything I do is aboutencouraging people to have a great life.
You look like you've been eating rawmeat and rebar though. I mean you
had to buy all new suits.It look like the rock stunt double.
All right, till John. Alwaysa pleasure talking with you, Scott.

(31:03):
Thank you very so. You're nota politician, but this is your second
fora into something other than the Treasurer'soffice. Will of course talk more as
the election gets closer. We stillgot about a year, but it's time
to get in and of course we'lltalk with the Omaha Mare Jean Stothard as
well. John Ewing for Omaha dotcom. Is the website, Yes,
John Ewing for Omaha dot com.That's your Douglas Scutty, treasurer and candidate

(31:27):
for mayor as a Democrat here leadingup to the nonpartisan city elections next year.
John Ewing here on news Radio eleventen kfab Thank you very much for
the time today. Thank you Scottfor having me. Scott Foryes Mornings nine
to eleven on news Radio eleven tenkfab