As the city’s 51stmayor and the city’s first female mayor, Jean Stothert said she’s learned that leadership doesn’t come without its fair share of knocks.
“I’m very proud of that, too, that I’m the first woman to be elected,” Stothert said. “And I had my challenges even when I decided to run for city council because I was the first woman on city council in over a decade. I had men come up to me and say ‘honey, maybe you should stay on the school board.’”
Stothert’s career in public service began more than 20 years ago when she moved to Omaha from St. Louis with her husband, a trauma doctor at UNMC, and their two children. Formerly a critical care nurse, Stothert gave up walking hospital floors and began knocking on neighborhood doors instead.
“I wanted to spend time with my kids,” she said. “I got very involved in their schools and that was the Millard School District. It wasn’t a few years before I decided I’d run for school board. That’s really how my public life began.”
Now seeking a second term in the city’s highest office, Stothert said her accomplishments in the past four years as mayor has put Omaha “on the right track.”
“We’re running this city as efficiently as it’s ever been done. Cities are judged on the amount of taxation, the services they get in return and the citizens’ ability to afford it.,” she said. “More businesses are coming into town. They’re developing here and they’re investing in Omaha.”