Former Nebraska State Senator Heath Mello says he began his career in public service more by accident than anything. Of course, the encouragement he received from his boss and then-senator Ben Nelson helped.
The son of a factory worker and a house cleaner, Mello had been working as a senior aide for the former governor and state senator who encouraged him to pursue a career helping people and improving neighborhoods.
Mello transitioned from working for Nelson to work on restarting the college foundation at Metropolitan Community College.
“For me, it was also something a bit more personal,” he said. “Not just in seeing the lack of a vision for the city, but because of a lack of really focusing on the future how that could possibly impact not just my children, but children across the city as they grow older.”
Mello was the first in his family to attend college, and he completed his degree in political science at UNL. Now, at 37 years old, Mello would be one of the youngest mayors to fill the city’s highest office.
Throughout his campaign, Mello’s platform has been one of big picture ideas including a unifying vision, transparency in city hall and pushing Omaha more towards innovation. If elected, he plans to not only start the city’s first Office of Innovation, but also appoint the first Chief Innovation Officer..
“This is not something I’ve invented during the campaign, this is what leadership in major 21st century cities are already doing,” Mello said. “They’re convening, facilitating and collaborating at a completely different level than what we’re seeing now in Omaha.”