Ricketts Appoints Slama to Southest Nebraska Legislative Seat

Governor Pete Ricketts announced Wednesday he is appointing Julie Slama of Peru to fill the southeast Nebraska seat representing District One in the Legislature.

Slama will take office January 9 and will fill the two years remaining in the term of Senator Dan Watermeier of Syracuse. Watermeier was elected to the Public Service Commission.

Ricketts called Slama a young professional who will help bridge the rural-urban divide in the Legislature. Slama said she would work to cut property taxes, protect pro-life values, and create opportunities for farm families.

Slama has worked as a substitute paraprofessional working with special needs students in Auburn. She graduated from Auburn High School and Yale University, and also worked on Ricketts' reelection campaign. Her family owns a farm near Wilber.

District 1 includes Otoe, Johnson, Nemeha, Pawnee and Richardson counties.