VansOpinion - HUDKINS AND HEIER

The race for two seats on the Lancaster County Board of Commissioners has produced some not-so-nice mud-slinging on the part of one of the Democratic candidates which splashed over onto his running mate. Not necessarily because they are Republicans - which they are - but because they stayed on the "high road" all during the campaign season and their opponents didn't, my "recommendation scale" was tipped in their favor. So, I think we should keep Bernie Heier and Larry Hudkins around for four more years - just for the "H" of is!

For the same reason I backed off of a hard endorsement for Jeff Fortenberry, I am moved to give a hard endorsement to Heier and Hudkins. I don't know which has been worse, the negative crap being spewed forth constantly by Mike Donlan (Bernie's opponent) and echoed by Wayne Boles (Larry's opponent) or the commercials against congressional candidate Matt Connealy funded by the Republican National Congressional Committee. Matt has taken a couple of shots back at Jeff, but at least they have contained factual information. Jeff's commercials have ignored the fact the legislature absolutely must balance the budged each go around. Matt did what HE HAD TO DO, not necessarily what he wanted to do.

Mike Donlan is, in my less than humble opinion, a sharp guy who definitely has potential in politics, however, his associations with Rick Hoppe, Don Wesely's stooge and office worker during Don's stay in the legislature and cohort during his term as mayor of Lincoln. Hoppe is noted for his penchant for slash-and-gouge politics, even when being a nice guy would net more votes. The "Smart-Ass" image of Hoppe has tarnished Donlan's chances for political office in at least the near term.

Mike is articulate, smart, well informed and, I believe, capable, but he just has to out grow or out live his reputation in the community of being a negative, constantly bitching candidate. I could possibly overlook the fact Jim Ritzman, the treasurer for the Lancaster County Democratic Party during Donlan's term as its chairman, was able to divert over $100,000 of the party's funds over to his own coffers, because I know Jim and, in my opinion, he could con an Eskimo out of his snowshoes in a blizzard. What I can't condone is Donlan's clearly established and predictable image of not being able to work well with other members of the country board. The last thing we need on that board is, the divisiveness of Donlan. His future political viability is as certain as his current political negative image.

Wayne Boles got into the mix after the Primary victor on the Democratic side resigned his candidacy due to accepting employment in another state. The Democrats had only days to drum up a candidate to oppose Larry Hudkins and Wayne became the chosen one.

Wayne Bole's campaign, I believe, will turn out to be too little, too late, and that's a shame. I have personally found Wayne to be a great guy, he's sharper than tax (pun intended) and he has an outstanding sense of humor. Frankly, I believe that if he has chosen to be his own man and had avoided Donlan's negative campaigning like it was a political plague, he would have been able to give Hudkins one heck of a race - maybe even win.

The Democratic Party would do well to remember Wayne Boles in the future, I think Wayne would make an outstanding member of our legislature. Couple his analytical mind with his outgoing sense of humor and you might see something like a Democratic version of former Senator Jerry Warner on the horizon.

Unlike the dominant newspaper in Nebraska's capitol city, even after giving Donlan and Boles a political KITA (kick in the afterburner) I want to thank the two of them for giving us a choice and for keeping my two picks, Bernie Heier and Larry Hudkins on their toes. It takes more "scrotal capacity" to run for office than it takes to set at a computer terminal and write yellow journalism which is then usually edited by a socialist or something close thereto.