Jim Suttle
Encyclopedia
James H. "Jim" Suttle is the 50th and current mayor of Omaha
, Nebraska
.
He also served as executive vice president and director of corporate development for HDR. He is a licensed professional engineer in Nebraska and has served as a member and chairman of the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects.
and Wichita, Kansas
.
Four council members, led by Frank Brown, voted to strip $200,000 from a project backed by Suttle to create another streetscape in Florence, moving the funds to another project. The vote marked the first time several years that Omaha City Council members had agreed to take away funds from another member's district.
On November 24, 2008, Jim Suttle announced his candidacy for Mayor of Omaha.
On April 7, 2009, in the nonpartisan mayoral primary, Suttle finished second to former Mayor Hal Daub
. The two went on to the general election on May 12, 2009 and Suttle was elected Mayor of Omaha.
The recall election
happened on January 25, 2011. Suttle defeated the attempt to recall him in a close result with those voting NO” to the recall 38,841, and those voting “YES” to the recall 37,198. Suttle 51.1 percent to the recallers 48.9 percent.
Forward Omaha, Suttle's campaign group was investigated by Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine for accusations that the homeless they bussed in, were paid or offered jobs. A member of Forward Omaha was charged with two misdemeanors: voter bribery and electioneering. Suttle apologized for the group's mistake in mixing the busing and the job offers and the bad impression this made. Prosecutions in either investigation would not invalidate the election.
A member of the apposing side was charged with faking eight signatures on the recall petition.
The state patrol report said there was no wrong doing from the leaders of either group, just poor judgment involved.
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
.
Earlier career
Suttle held the position of vice chairman of the Board of Directors for the Omaha-based engineering and design firm HDR, Inc.HDR, Inc.
HDR Inc. is an employee-owned architectural, engineering and consulting firm based in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. HDR has worked on projects in all 50 U.S. states and in 60 countries, including notable projects such as the Hoover Dam Bypass, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, and the The Roslin Institute building...
He also served as executive vice president and director of corporate development for HDR. He is a licensed professional engineer in Nebraska and has served as a member and chairman of the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects.
Public service
In 2005, Suttle was elected to represent District 1 on the Omaha City Council. As a councilman, he served on the board of the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency and as a member of the Omaha-Douglas Building Commission. Suttle previously served as Public Works Director for the City of Omaha, and once held transportation planning positions with local governments in Albuquerque, New MexicoAlbuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
and Wichita, Kansas
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
.
Four council members, led by Frank Brown, voted to strip $200,000 from a project backed by Suttle to create another streetscape in Florence, moving the funds to another project. The vote marked the first time several years that Omaha City Council members had agreed to take away funds from another member's district.
On November 24, 2008, Jim Suttle announced his candidacy for Mayor of Omaha.
On April 7, 2009, in the nonpartisan mayoral primary, Suttle finished second to former Mayor Hal Daub
Hal Daub
Harold John "Hal" Daub, Jr. is a politician and lawyer affiliated with the Republican Party.-Background:...
. The two went on to the general election on May 12, 2009 and Suttle was elected Mayor of Omaha.
Recall election
In late 2010 the movement to recall Suttle had been gathering signatures to recall on allegations of "Excessive taxes, broken promises, and union deals that they claimed had cost taxpayers millions and threatened Omaha's economic future." One of the arguments against the recall is that it would cost 600,000 to 900,000 dollars. 37,219 unvalidated Signatures were handed in at 3 p.m on November 19, 2010, 10,000 more than needed. 26,643 valid names were required.The recall election
Recall election
A recall election is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended...
happened on January 25, 2011. Suttle defeated the attempt to recall him in a close result with those voting NO” to the recall 38,841, and those voting “YES” to the recall 37,198. Suttle 51.1 percent to the recallers 48.9 percent.
Forward Omaha, Suttle's campaign group was investigated by Douglas County Attorney Don Kleine for accusations that the homeless they bussed in, were paid or offered jobs. A member of Forward Omaha was charged with two misdemeanors: voter bribery and electioneering. Suttle apologized for the group's mistake in mixing the busing and the job offers and the bad impression this made. Prosecutions in either investigation would not invalidate the election.
A member of the apposing side was charged with faking eight signatures on the recall petition.
The state patrol report said there was no wrong doing from the leaders of either group, just poor judgment involved.