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Lincoln voters will choose from a diverse pool of candidates in Tuesday’s general election for Lincoln City Council. Five of the six candidates are people of color, one is an immigrant, and two identify as LGTBQ.
The six candidates are competing for three at-large seats on the City Council, which makes local laws and decides which projects are funded through the city budget.
While the race is officially non-partisan, three Republicans and three Democrats advanced from the primary. The three Democrats, Sändra Washington, Bennie Shobe and Tom Beckius, are seeking reelection. Council members serve four-year terms with no term limits.
At the time of her appointment, Washington was the first out Black lesbian in any public office in Nebraska. She was joined by Beckius, a gay man, and James Michael Bowers, the first out gay man to serve as council chair.
“I’m not promising to look back 40 years, but I think this is an incredibly diverse field,” Washington said. “I can’t remember a time where we’ve ever had this many people of color running for Lincoln City Council ever.”
Washington is retired after a long career in the National Parks Service. She served on the Lincoln Parks and Recreation Advisory board, then as a Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commissioner before her appointment to the City Council in 2019.
Washington is currently the only woman serving on the Council. She said her identity is important, but it doesn’t change her policies.
“It's made a difference in my understanding what it feels like to be marginalized, but it doesn't change the policies that I am advocating for,” Washington said. “I mean, affordable housing doesn't have a race or a gender attached to it. Certainly, infrastructure does not have race or gender attached to it.”
According to GoodParty, political diversity is beneficial for promoting policies that include all groups of residents, especially those from historically marginalized groups. Seeing diversity in political leadership may also help dismantle harmful stereotypes and encourage more civic engagement.
However, the City Council doesn’t have a lot of sway when it comes to policies on race, gender and sexual orientation. In 2022, the Council passed the “Fairness Ordinance,” which aimed to prevent discrimination in housing, public services and employment, but rescinded it shortly after it passed.
While Washington is glad to see diverse candidates involved, she said she and the other candidates are simply running to serve their city.
“When a former council person who served 24 years ago comes back and says, ‘I want to serve again,’ I don't think it has anything to do with his color,” Washington said. “I think it's him saying, ‘I'm ready to come back and do some more work.’”
Washington is talking about fellow candidate Jerry Shoecraft, who served on the council from 1993-2001. Though he was a Democrat then, Shoecraft is now running as a Republican.
Shoecraft said it’s wonderful to see the diverse group of candidates.
“It's an honor and a privilege to want to serve for public office,” Shoecraft said. “I commend anyone who wants to have a voice and be a leader of this community. I totally respect that, and everybody deserves to have a seat at the table.”
Shoecraft played basketball for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and now manages properties around the city. His main goals are optimizing traffic flow and promoting fiscal responsibility.
Maher Aurang Zeb is running as a Republican and has similar priorities, along with advancing affordable housing initiatives. Zeb is an immigrant from Pakistan who has lived in Lincoln since 2003.
“Lincoln is my home, so I want to serve the people,” Zeb said. “Lincoln gave me a lot, so I want to return this one back.”
Zeb runs a painting company and flips houses. He says an immigrant’s perspective is needed on the Council since Lincoln has a large immigrant community.
“Even white folks came here as immigrants,” Zeb said. “Somebody told me 150 years ago, there was nothing in Nebraska. Immigrants always, when they come to some land, they have a good idea, and they make America great.”
Other candidates in the race are incumbent Democrats Tom Beckius and Bennie Shobe, along with Republican Stan Parker.
The Lincoln City Council currently is a bit more diverse than other elected bodies in the state, with two Black members – Washington and Shobe – out of seven total. Across 49 legislative districts, around 16% of Nebraska’s senators are non-white. In comparison, Nebraska’s total population is about a quarter non-white, while the population of Lancaster County is about 21% non-white.
In January, Pew Research Center reported that 26% of the voting members currently in U.S. Congress identified as something other than non-Hispanic white. This is the most racially and ethnically diverse group of U.S. Senators and Representatives to date.