Christopher Geary
We were unable to contact Mr. Geary or his campaign for an interview.
Dunixi Guereca
Dunixi Guereca is the proud son of immigrant parents who came to America in search of a better life. His district has a rich community of immigrants whom Guereca aims to advocate for and empower. He’s running for the Nebraska legislature because he believes that, “if you’re not at the table then you’re on the menu.” Currently, Guereca is the Executive Director of Stand for Schools, a Nebraska nonprofit organization that supports and strengthens public schools.
Guereca stated that the most important issue facing Nebraskans is that leaders have not found common-sense solutions to help our state recover from the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also noted that the high cost of living places an immense burden on people across Nebraska.
Guereca briefly utilized unemployment services and stated that the unemployment adjudicators that he worked with were amazing. He knows that forward-facing state services are always understaffed, an issue exacerbated by our government’s attempts to cut back on essential resources. In order to ensure that public services and programs are fully funded, Guereca said that it’s going to take some tough conversations and a long look at Nebraska’s budget.
Guereca opposes the privatization of state services. He believes that the government has a responsibility to provide quality services to the taxpayers, while private companies’ focus is on making money for shareholders. Having government oversight over taxpayer dollars is essential and Guereca said that it’s ultimately best for State of Nebraska employees to perform these services and to maintain a high quality of care to Nebraskans.
Before starting his current position, Guereca was a union organizer for the Service Employees International Union where he fought to build power so that healthcare workers were given fair wages and safe working conditions. Guereca firmly believes that everyone deserves the right to unionize because unions are a pathway to the middle class and a dignified retirement. He would support a bill expanding public sector bargaining to include legislative branch employees such as legislative aides and judicial branch employees such as probation officers and clerks.
If a bill was introduced to take away public sector collective bargaining rights in Nebraska, Guereca said he would firmly oppose and do everything in his power to stop the legislation. When asked his opinion on legislative procedure, he stated that he supports the election of committee chairs through secret ballot and also supports the current filibuster rules.
Guereca said that he is the best candidate for the legislature because he knows that at the end of the day, everyone just wants to put in an honest day’s work, get a fair wage, and be treated with dignity.
Tim Pendrell
Tim Pendrell grew up in Omaha and is committed to continuing his service to his community. He served as a clerk for the legislature’s retirement committee and was an administrative aide for Senator Mike McDonnell during which time he worked on appropriations. Pendrell was a Grant Administrator at the Department of Corrections and is deeply familiar with how the state government and state agencies operate on a financial level.
Pendrell stated that the most pressing issue facing Nebraskans is the cuts that will have to be made in order to afford the proposed property tax relief legislation. He noted that there are already shortfalls in public services, like retirement issues, lack of competitive salaries, and no efficient way to get college students integrated into state service early. His plan to mitigate some of these issues is simple: fund the general fund. His approach to ensuring that public services and programs are fully funded is to get information from the agencies and State of Nebraska employees about what they need in order to efficiently and effectively serve their fellow Nebraskans.
When asked what public services provided by state employees he has personally utilized, Pendrell said that he is frequently on the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) accounting page. He also enjoys using the Nebraska State Parks and appreciates all the work that State of Nebraska employees do to maintain them.
Pendrell opposes the privatization or contracting out of state services to private companies. He stated that transferring responsibility to private companies is difficult, lacks oversight, and ultimately will not end well.
Though Pendrell was not a NAPE-covered employee during his time working for the state, his mother was a NAPE/AFSCME union member when she worked for the Department of Health and Human Services. Pendrell 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 support a bill expanding public sector collective bargaining to include legislative employees such as legislative aides and judicial branch employees such as probation officers and clerks.
Pendrell said that if a bill was introduced to take away public sector collective bargaining rights in Nebraska, he would oppose the legislation. He noted that polling shows there is currently more support for unions than in the recent past, but that should anti-union legislation pop up, he will do everything he can to fight for Nebraskans’ right to collectively bargain.
When asked his opinion on legislative procedures, Pendrell stated that he supports the election of committee chairs through secret ballot and also supports the current filibuster rules.
Ben Salazar
Ben Salazar is a Vietnam Veteran from Western Nebraska who, upon returning, enrolled at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. While there, he helped organize the Mexican American Student Association. He has always been a passionate advocate and supporter of different social justice movements. It’s these experiences that he said make him qualified to represent his district in the legislature.
Salazar said that the most important issue facing Nebraskans is the workforce shortage. He stated that working to incorporate the immigrant population into the workforce and helping them be successful is a way that Nebraska could address the shortages.
Salazar said that, to him, the services provided by State of Nebraska employees are important not because of what they can do for him, but because of what they do for other people. Through his advocacy, he has helped individuals navigate state programs.
When asked what public services are lacking in Nebraska, Salazar stated that he knows that the Department of Corrections has a lot of turnover and that there are inequities in healthcare across the state that negatively affect disadvantaged communities.
Salazar stated that he opposes the privatization or contracting out of state services to private companies.
Salazar said he supports the right of State of Nebraska employees to unionize and collectively bargain the wages and conditions of employment. When asked about expanding collective bargaining rights to legislative and judicial branch employees, he stated that he would need to hear any justification for why they can’t, but ultimately he supports the right of anyone to collectively bargain.
Salazar stated that he would oppose any bill introduced to take away public sector collective bargaining rights in Nebraska.
When asked about legislative procedures, Salazar said that committee chairs should be chosen by public vote for complete transparency and he supports the current filibuster rules.
Salazar also noted that his door will always be open to us and, should he be elected, he will advocate for state employees and all unions in Nebraska.