Nebraska Redistricting Committee holds second public hearing

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) - Nebraska’s Redistricting Committee conducted its second of three public hearings Wednesday for Dist. 2 at the state Capitol.

The first hearing was conducted Tuesday in Grand Island, in Dist. 3, with many residents from legislative Dist. 44 insisting on keeping the rural legislative district intact. They also expressed their support for keeping the district as far west as possible, to “make sure their interests are represented.”

Contentious debate continued Wednesday at the Capitol as the Dist. 2 hearing touched on differing opinions about how they believe the map should be redrawn for Sarpy County.

”I’m in favor of LB 1 because it keeps Sarpy County united, and I resent that LB 2 steals a portion of Sarpy County; and it creates this minority of Sarpians withinin Douglas,” Nicole Stransky of Sarpy County told the committee. “I just fear by making a minority their voices will no longer be heard, their interests will be overlooked, they will be squashed under the heel of the big city of Omaha.”

The Democrats’ proposed map decreases the size of Dist. 2, keeping all of Douglas County but changing it so that Offutt and Bellevue would be included. The map Republicans proposed in their recent committee meeting increases the size of Dist. 2, cutting Douglas County in half and adding both Saunders and Sarpy counties, which lean Republican.

”Good, intelligent daily design should be forgettable,” Luke Scroer of Bellevue said to the committee. “If you are stuck in traffic that is memorable and it is bad design. When I look at this one, LB 3 has so many deviations — it’s not simple, it’s not intelligent good design. It looks like it’s trying hard.”

The Dist. 1 hearing is set for 10 a.m. Thursday in the Scott Conference Center, located at 6450 Pine St. in Omaha. State senators will then begin debating their proposed maps on Friday.

They must have the new redistricting lines re-drawn by Oct. 1.

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