Allison Heimes
Allison Heimes was born and raised in Nebraska. She works full-time as an attorney and services on the advisory board of the Kim Foundation as a commitment to suicide prevention and response. She is running for the legislature because she wants to continue serving and advocating for her community.
When asked about the biggest issue facing Nebraskans, Heimes said that there’s a lack of mental health services available across the state. The worker shortage plaguing every business and agency in Nebraska has hit the mental health profession particularly hard.
Heimes utilizes public services associated with the National Guard benefits that her family receives. Her husband serves in the Army National Guard full time, and whenever questions or issues arise, Heimes knows she can get assistance. She also noted that her children attend public school and she’s keenly aware of the way the teacher and mental health professional workforce shortage affects schools in Nebraska.
Heimes said her motivation is always to fully fund public services and she knows that this type of funding isn’t just a tax issue but a social issue as well. She opposes the privatization of public services.
Heimes comes from a union family and supports the right of Nebraska State Employees to unionize and collectively bargain the wages and conditions of employment. She would support a bill expanding public sector collective bargaining to include employees such as legislative and judicial branch employees.
Heimes stated that she would oppose any bill that aimed to take away public sector collective bargaining rights in Nebraska.
When asked about legislative procedure, Heimes stated that he believes committee chairs should be chosen by secret ballot and she supports the current filibuster rules.
Tony Sorrentino
Tony Sorrentino is an Omaha native who was an attorney in the business sector. Sorrentino said that his 35 years of business experience has given him a good grasp on what Nebraskans need and why. He’s running for legislature because he believes that every seat is important and he hopes that he can be a leader who is accountable and transparent.
Sorrentino said that the most important issue facing Nebraskans today is high property taxes. He also noted that the workforce shortages are concerning and that Nebraska is an attractive place for new businesses, but we do not have a workforce to supply them.
The public services provided by State of Nebraska employees that Sorrentino uses most often are our highways. When asked about what public services he felt were lacking in Nebraska, Sorrentino said that he knows agencies are struggling to fill positions. He was interested in having more conversations with our union about gaps.
When asked if he would ensure that public services and programs are fully funded, Sorrentino said that he would gladly listen to people voice their needs and do what he can to save money without cutting services.
Sorrentino stated that he does not support the privatization or contracting out of state services to private companies.
Sorrentino stated that he supports the right of Nebraska State Employees to unionize and collectively bargain the wages and conditions of their employment. He also stated that he would oppose any bill introduced to take away public sector collecting bargaining rights in Nebraska.
When asked if he would support a bill expanding public sector collective bargaining to include legislative and judicial branch employees, Sorrentino said he would listen to the logic behind the bill and he’s not necessarily opposed to it but would like to know the details and implications of any such bill.
When asked about legislative procedures, Sorrentino said that he believes committee chairs in the legislature should be chosen by public vote. He also stated that he did not think filibusters were necessary and would change the rules in the legislature.