Gov. Pillen appoints St. Paul man to state legislature

Governor Jim Pillen announced a new appointment to the Nebraska Legislature on Wednesday.

Fred Meyer from St. Paul, Nebraska was selected to fill the District 41 seat. He was one of 16 applicants.

Meyer served on the Nebraska Board of Education from 1999 to 2010, and grew up on a farm in West Point.

After taking his oath, Meyer said he thinks the biggest issue facing the state is the lack of certified teachers.

“Any way and anything that we can do to encourage more young people to get into education and stay in education are things we need to work on,” Meyer said.

According to Meyer, one potential way to get more educators is to put money into student teaching.

He also said he is passionate about agriculture and natural resources.

Meyer fills the seat left vacant by Tom Briese, who is now the state treasurer.

District 41 consists of Wheeler, Boone, Greeley, Valley, Sherman, and Howard counties, as well as portions of Buffalo and Hall counties.