Name                           Kimara Snipes

Occupation                   Community Engagement Manager, Nebraska Civic Engagement Table

Education                     Omaha Bryan High School, some college

Political Affiliation        Democratic

Website                       www.KimaraSnipes.com

What are your connections to the community?

President, South Omaha Neighborhood Alliance; former president, Highland South – Indian Hill Neighborhood Association; Omaha Police Southeast Precinct Advisory Council; Omaha Public Schools Board of Education; Mode Shift Omaha Board; Civic Nebraska Advisory Board; One Omaha Advisory Board; Heartland Workers Center Board; Douglas County Land Reutilization Commission member; New Leaders Council 2020 Fellow; Allen Chapel Women’s Missionary Society; South Omaha Optimists Club member; Anti-Defamation League trained facilitator; Omaha Kroc Center Advisory Board.

What experience do you bring to the office?

I am the only elected official challenging Mayor Stothert as she seeks a third term in office.  As a member of the OPS Board, I’ve helped govern one of the largest school districts in the nation, during the challenges of a pandemic.  We are the first major school district in the United States to safely return to five-day, in-person learning. Our population of 52,000 students would be the fourth largest city in Nebraska.  These students attend classes in 80 buildings and come from families that speak over 100 languages.  The OPS budget is larger than the City of Omaha general fund.  In addition to that governing experience, I have advocated for neighborhoods and been recognized by other neighborhood leaders who elected me to the presidency of the South Omaha Neighborhood Alliance.

What would one of your top priorities be?

Omaha should become a 21st Century city, but we can’t get there if we continue to settle for 20th Century politics.  I will invite leaders from the private and public sectors – business, labor, education and the faith community – to serve on a 21st Century Omaha Advisory Panel (21-COAP) in the Mayor’s office.  We would fundamentally change the way we approach innovation and City services.  This would include initiatives like a complete streets program to broaden our planning to seek equity for all modes of transportation, and efforts to expand wi-fi access in Omaha.  It would also include a review to ensure the city is pro-active in supporting small business growth and development and working with the Chamber and others to recruit new and better jobs, reversing the trend of Fortune 500 jobs leaving Omaha.

What motivated you to run for public office?

Two major issues last year highlighted the stagnation of current civic leadership.  First, the City created a crisis of communication and trust in early responses to justice demonstrations.  We need to heal our city and restore that trust to make citizens partners again in preventing and solving crimes, reducing the upward spiral of violent crimes in Omaha.  A Mayor who is unafraid to lead can help restore trust.  The second issue was COVID-19.  When that threat to public health emerged, I organized task forces in North and South Omaha to address the increased risks faced by Black and Brown populations. On the School Board, we supported district leadership moving with urgency and intent through hybrid attendance and risk mitigation decisions.  As a result, we are now the first major school district in the country to return to five-day, in-person learning.  By contrast, the City’s organized response came after our North and South Omaha task forces were meeting, and Omaha was the last major city in the nation to adopt a mask ordinance.  These were two major challenges that we have met as citizen leaders, while the City had to settle a lawsuit with demonstrators on the first, and on the second, trailed the nation in response to the pandemic.

What’s the biggest issue that Omaha faces?

We can deliver services better, faster and more efficiently if we listen to our City   employees, connect with our community and be open to new and better ideas that are successful in other cities.  Failure to innovate impacts all the other issues we face, from poor streets to the trendline for increases in violent crime.  Omaha faces a critical shortage of affordable housing stock, and that will be spiral out of control if we continue to ignore the imperative to act with intent.

Is there anything else you want to tell voters?

Omaha is poised to become a 21st Century city and we can make history in this election, attracting the attention of the nation.  Or, we can settle on standing still.  I’m not asking you to vote for me because I’ll be the first Black Woman Mayor of Omaha, but I have faith you won’t disqualify me because of that milestone.  A high tech economy, new and better jobs, reduced violent crime, improved streets and city services.  These are all within our grasp, if we just muster the collective courage to lean forward.  You know this about my record, I will always work hard and I will always be honest with you.