John Ewing is a smart man. He’s also a good politician. The politician in him played his views on the streetcar perfectly, even if it meant that he had to pretend he didn’t know about some things.

You may recall that for many people, the project that is tearing up the streets from Blackstone to Downtown was a sore spot in the mayor’s race. Mike McDonnell had hoped that by stirring up anger towards the streetcar, it would propel him to the mayor’s office. But while that anger may have been real for some people, it wasn’t enough to get him out of the primary.

John Ewing played it smarter. He acknowledged the anger, but he recognized that contracts had been signed, and he reluctantly supported it because it would cost the city too much to shut it down.

He never addressed the benefits of the streetcar, just that it was imminent and there was little he could do about it. Jean put him in a bind. Some proponents of the streetcar feared that if he got elected, he might try to slow the project down.

Fast forward to today.

John Ewing has seen the light and is now a cheerleader for the streetcar. He recently held a press conference where he gave a report on the progress of the project.

When I asked the mayor what changed his mind from being a reluctant supporter to an enthusiastic one, he said that he has information now that he didn’t have prior to taking office.

To which I respectfully and laughingly say Bulls#$t.

Like I said, John Ewing is a smart man. He knows how to get on a website. He knows how to pick up the phone. If he really didn’t have all that information before the election, it was only because he didn’t want to have it.

But like I said, he’s an excellent politician. He had to somehow distinguish himself from Jean Stothert. By acting like he didn’t like the streetcar but was resigned to it, he could manage a balancing act that wouldn’t upset either side too much.

But now he’s on board and with good reason.

The streetcar project has already spurred development in the urban core that will exceed 3.9 billion dollars over the next 15 years. New apartments and condos are already being built along the line that can accommodate 30,000 new residents who will fill thousands of new jobs.

But it’s more than just the economic gains in the urban corridor. It’s also about what it does for the image of the city, and how that image is a catalyst for more growth throughout the region.

Imagine what Omaha would be like if we didn’t have the CHI Health Center. If we didn’t have the convention center and arena, we wouldn’t have the hotels, the restaurants, the stadium, the apartments, and the riverfront development that surround the area.

We also wouldn’t have had the concerts, the NCAA basketball tournaments, the Olympic swim tournament, the conventions, the Berkshire Hathaway meetings, the home, garden, car, and horse shows, and many of the banquets and other events held at CHI.

And while today it seems like a no-brainer, when the city started planning this about 30 years ago, it was met with some of the same arguments that people are using against the streetcar today.

However, the streetcar plan is far from perfect.

The city and UNMC have been unable to resolve a route that will get them closer to the medical facility. The closest it comes is still a bit of a hike. Having Mutual of Omaha at one end and the Med Center at the other would greatly increase ridership. It would also help make all the new developments around the hospitals more successful.

At that press conference, Mayor Ewing said that the cost of the streetcar has grown to 421 million dollars. That represents an 8% increase from an earlier estimate, but still below the 440 million dollar bond the city council approved in 2022. Mayor Ewing said that most of the contracts have been signed now, and he expects costs to remain in line.

The streetcar is going to be good for Omaha, and John Ewing knew it all along, even if the political climate didn’t allow him to admit it at the time.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.