Mike McDonnell announces run for Omaha mayor

The Omaha Firefighters Hall was packed with supporters Thursday as Mike McDonnell set forth a vision for his mayoral campaign.

The South Omaha state senator and former Omaha fire chief promised to be a mayor who listens, drawing a contrast between himself and current Omaha mayor Jean Stothert.

“Right now we have a mayor that, it's not leadership by listening," he said. "And right now we need a mayor that is going to listen.”

McDonnell said he would let people vote on whether to move forward with a proposed streetcar development downtown, which has faced criticism for the way it would be funded.

“I don't mind if the people of Omaha want a streetcar, but let the people of Omaha vote on the streetcar,” he said.

That line received some of the loudest applause during his speech.

McDonnell also shared alternative transportation project ideas such as an L Street Expressway or a new I-880 corridor around the outskirts of the city.

In an interview with Nebraska Public Media, McDonnell even floated the idea of robo-taxis in Omaha.

"How about the idea of what Elon Musk is talking about?" he said. "In 2026 you're gonna have robo-taxis, potentially. Why can't we be a pilot city, 40th largest city in the country, for robo-taxis, autonomous vehicles, all those things going forward into the future?"

State Sen. Steve Halloran, who served with McDonnell in the legislature for eight years, attended the campaign launch and had high praise for his colleague.

“It did not take me long to discover Mike McDonnell was someone that you could trust his word. It’s solid as gold,” Halloran said. “He represented Omaha very well in the legislature, and obviously he would do very well as mayor.”

McDonnell joins a mayoral candidate field that includes Douglas County Treasurer John Ewing and nonprofit executive Jasmine Harris.

Stothert is also running for her fourth term in office.

The primary election will take place on April 1, 2025.

The top two candidates in the primary, regardless of party affiliation, will advance to the general election in May.