Stothert: I'm Not Peeking Under Stalls

This is how ridiculous the mayor's race has gotten, and we still have a few hours left!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Scott Vordy.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
We've been talking in some ways about her all morning.
We now welcome on to the program for a few
minutes Omaha Mayor Jean Stothard on this election eve. Mayor Stothard,
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:13):
Good morning, Thanks for having me. Absolutely, I apologize, I
haven't heard it. I haven't heard it. Say you were
saying this morning, I wasn't listening.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
That's fine. Yeah, Lucy's been here all morning. She hasn't
talked about Lucy hasn't been listening to me either, and
she's sitting right here. But no, well it started off
here Sheriff Hansen called out John Ewing saying, what are
your problems with me? As I've been working with ice
or on the front of the homeless population, and then

(00:41):
we've been looking at this ad. Let's start here because
John Ewing apparently seems to want to get legal involved
here because of an ad put out by a third
party group that says who supports John Ewing's agenda? And
it's a bunch of guys in drag raising their hands
surrounding John Ewing. This is not something from your campaign.

(01:04):
What do you think of this ad?

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Well? Well, first of all, the ad which was a
mail piece again that as you said, it was from
a pack and I had no idea that that was
going out. I didn't have any input. I don't know
who paid for it. I don't know who it went to.
So somebody showed it to me that I find the
pictures on it offensive. I would not have chosen those.

(01:28):
I would have not allowed that if they asked my opinion,
but they didn't, and so that, I mean, that's just
that I had nothing to do with that, and I
don't know who did it. There is an ad, however,
a television commercial that is running that I did see
before it went out, and what the ad said on TV,

(01:50):
it didn't say anything about LGBT community, who I have
had good support and relationships with since I've been there.
What it said is he supports groups that support men
and girls' sports and men and girls' bathrooms. And that
is true, and so now he's when they ask him

(02:11):
about it, he says, basically of what I've been told,
talk to my lawyer. I mean, this isn't a courtroom.
This is a campaign, and people are you know I
am running for mayor again and he's running for a mayor.
Answer the question if he says that that is wrong,
then answer the question and say I do not support

(02:32):
men and girl sports and men and girls bathroom are
say I do? Well?

Speaker 2 (02:36):
The Nebraska Democratic Party has got this as an image
of you looking under a bathroom stall to make sure
that the gender of the person in there matches the
gender on the door. First, I presume this is a
fake image. They didn't ask you to pose for this picture.

Speaker 1 (02:53):
No, and you know, I mean talk about offensive. I mean,
if that's the Democrats parties respond to that. And John
Ewing has got a lawyer now because he's offended. Come on,
you know, I mean, if you can't stand the heat,
get out of the kitchen. For God's sake, this is
a political campaign. He needs to answer the question. That's

(03:15):
what he needs to do, and not say talk to
my lawyer. Does he support boys and girls sports and
boys and girls bathrooms. That's what I have been very
crystal clear about. I said in the beginning, this is
not an issue that's hypothetical. I think the mayor has
influenced over public schools, over parks, rec centers, youth programs,

(03:35):
and I think voters have a right to know where
each candidate stands all right, you got Don Wing can't
If he can't answer the question, how can anybody trust him?
And say, just talk to my lawyer.

Speaker 2 (03:47):
We got one minute here. We've also talked homelessness. I
got a guy emailing me since last week saying that
there's a growing shelter north of I eighty on seventy
second Street. I call the mayor's hotline in the in
the city of and I'm just not sure anything can
be done about it. It seems to get bigger and bigger.
What should people do if there are homeless encampments on

(04:09):
the streets of Omaha. We got one minute here.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
You know, well, I will say, John Ewing put out
an ad that said I said homelessness and affordable housing
is not a problem in our community. That's a lie.
I've never said that. You know, if the people see
encampments popping up, you call my hotline and my homeless
service coordinator will be out on the street and address it.
Some areas that pop up, however, are on private property,

(04:35):
and if they are on private property, we are restricted
of what we can do. But feet Aaron Hanson and
I and the police chief in Omaha, we are working
together along with our homeless service coordinator to get those
people that are unsheltered the services they need and get
them into shelter. My homeless service coordinator has moved over

(04:56):
three hundred people that were unsheltered into shelter, gotten them service.
We almost we are not ignoring that this is a problem.
And can I address the ice issue.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
Toot, I'm running, I'm already out of time here. I'll
give you twenty seconds.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Well about the ice issue, Chief Smotter and I made
it very clear and we were aware that reports of
federal immigration sweeps entertainments in some cities may be imminent.
At this time, we have no information that Omaha could
be one of those. We are not a sanctuary city.
We just made it very clear that Omaha police officers
are not ICE agents, but we do work in cooperation

(05:38):
and collaboration with ICE if necessary.

Speaker 2 (05:41):
All right, we got till tomorrow until election polls are
open at eight am. Meyrist Doth, thank you very much
for the time, and good luck tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (05:49):
And please get out and vote everybody.

Speaker 2 (05:50):
And we will see if John Ewing takes Emory Songer
up because he didn't do for me today on this
offer to be on the radio with us here on
eleven ten KFA, but emoryes on for four hours a
day for see if mister Ewing accepts that invitation. Scott
voices mornings nine to eleven our News Radio eleven ten

(06:11):
KFAB