Mike McDonnell is banking on the hope that voters have short memories or no recollection of the past.

It’s understandable if they don’t remember. After all, voters have jobs, families, and a lot of other things on their minds. So, when they see a TV ad for McDonnell with former Omaha mayors PJ Morgan and Mike Fahey, they either weren’t around or don’t remember what happened under those mayors decades ago.

PJ Morgan abruptly resigned as Omaha’s leader in 1994 with three years remaining on his term, leaving the city in the lurch.

Voters especially need to pay very close attention to the Mike Fahey endorsement. When Fahey was mayor, he negotiated the contracts for the police and firefighters’ unions, contracts that hurt Omaha’s bond rating and nearly bankrupted the city.

These contracts allowed firefighters and police officers to spike their pensions, leaving the fund in serious financial trouble. After Fahey left office, Jim Suttle had to pass a restaurant tax to keep the pensions solvent, a tax Jean Stothert opposed but has done nothing to rescind in all the years she’s been in office.

Mike McDonnell was president of the firefighters’ union at the time. He negotiated that bad contract.

Let’s fast forward to today.

Recent financial disclosures show that the Omaha firefighter’s union is the largest contributor to McDonnell’s run for mayor, donating 50,000 dollars so far to his campaign.

The union isn’t giving that money out of the kindness of their hearts.

This next paragraph is taken from a memo the union’s officers sent to their rank and file. It is reprinted word for word to give you the full context of why they support McDonnell:

“I know we say this a lot, but this election is one of the most important our union has had. The impact of this election could be more beneficial - or more harmful - than any contract negotiation, with its impact potentially lasting more than 4 years. With a win, we've got not just a friend, but an ally, in the mayor's office who understands the issues important to firefighters better than anyone.”

The firefighter’s union hopes that their 50K gets them a bigger ally in the office than they had in Fahey. And it’s not just the money. They’ll have volunteers putting up signs and canvassing door to door, hoping to get them a very lucrative contract on the backs of the Omaha taxpayers.

I don’t blame them for doing any of this. Every big campaign donor does the same thing in the hopes that they’ll have special access to the candidate if they get elected. And this is not to disparage the hard work that all the first responders do.

But the last contract McDonnell negotiated with the city, put us in a serious financial bind. The fire union knows that if he gets into office, it will be déjà vu all over again and the taxpayers will be left holding the bag.

Don’t take this column as a ringing endorsement for Jean Stothert either. While she’s done a decent job during her time in office, I have a serious problem that she wants to get rid of the so-called blue dot.

Dividing up our electoral votes brings millions of dollars into Omaha. Dividing our electoral vote makes Omaha and the second district relevant during presidential elections. Trump wants Nebraska to be winner-take-all. Mayor Stothert joined all the other Nebraska Republican elected officials in signing a letter endorsing that idea.

While McDonnell is loyal to the firefighter’s union, Jean is loyal to the Republican party. We need a mayor that is loyal to all the citizens in Omaha.

The mayoral primary is just a few weeks away. On April 1st, the voters will pick the top two candidates. I’ll be voting for John Ewing in the primary. Since we don’t know who the final two will be, I don’t know who I’ll support in the general election, but I think Ewing deserves a shot.

There will be debates and forums with the candidates between now and April Fool’s Day. Don’t just pay attention to what the candidates say in their TV ads, but pay attention to what the candidates have all done in the past.

In this political climate, Omaha can’t afford voters with short memories.

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.