Jim Vokal would love to see Mayor Suttle fail. That’s why Vokal has been quietly leading the recall effort of Mayor Suttle.
Vokal has tried to remain relevant in Omaha by forming the OMAPAC (not to be confused with OMAGRO – something that actually provides value to Omaha residents). He has become the official Republican spokesperson of Omaha – anointed by the Omaha World-Herald. When there’s something strange in the neighborhood, who’s the World-Herald going to call? Jim Vokal! OWH would rather talk to an Omaha citizen holding no elected office than a city council member . Why doesn’t the World-Herald call Randy Brown or Mort Sullivan? Just like Vokal, they didn’t advance to the general election.
Vokal was once a young and awkward city councilman, but he has seemed to grow into what he’s aspired to be – a career politician (although he hasn’t outgrown his awkward phase). He suffered a road bumb all career politicians fear – not getting elected. Before giving up his seat on the Omaha city council, colleagues appointed him to MECA. Bob Kerrey got a bridge; Vokal got a seat on an organization about as transparent as mud.
Along the way, Vokal’s appeal to voters has seemed to wane. Nobody really knows what he does (apparently he manages a couple people) and nobody really knows what he stands for. So, Vokal has tried to stay relevant by becoming the poster child of the revolution. Some would call him a sore loser while he calls himself a watchdog.
His desire to recall Suttle leads Vokal in an awkward position. He’s rooting for Suttle to screw up which means he’s rooting for Omaha to fail. Vokal has put his political interests ahead of the interests of Omaha. Over the past several weeks of budget discussions, Vokal has added nothing of value to the debate. He’s been quick to criticize while offering no solutions of his own. During the campaign, the Daub and Vokal camps criticized Suttle for a lack of specifics, and now it’s Vokal who hasn’t come up with a unique thought in several months. During budget discussions in the 2003 and 2004, former Mayor Mike Fahey was often critical of Vokal and other councilmen for criticizing Fahey’s budget while offering no alternatives of their own.
Vokal didn’t have the political strength to support higher taxes in 2001. Instead he kicked the can down the road, and now it’s Suttle having to deal with the long term consequences of Vokal’s inaction years ago. During the 2004 budget debate, Vokal backed a plan that would “borrow money from various city accounts, increase tax revenue projections [another term for Enron type creative accounting] and make some budget cuts.” That plan wouldn’t have solved any problems (and it likely wouldn’t have balanced the 2004 budget).
What’s ironic is Jim Vokal himself predicted the budget situation now being tackled by Mayor Suttle. Vokal was describing the 2005 budget process
But Vokal went on to describe 2005 as the ‘calm before the storm.’ He and council members Chuck Sigerson and Dan Welch remain critical of how Fahey handled the 2004 budget crisis by deferring employee raises into future years. The three said large tax increases could be coming in later budget years, especially if the economy falters again. Omaha World-Herald July 28, 2004.
For eight years, Vokal lacked the political will to make any tough decisions. Actions speak louder than words, and Vokal is full of words while short on action. He’s the worst type of politician – the type that only worries about how to get elected. He’s not concerned about doing what’s right – he’s concerned about doing what’s popular. Vokal isn’t interested in getting Omaha through it’s financial problems. Vokal is interested in exploiting Omaha’s financial problems to weaken Mayor Suttle and ultimately have him recalled.
For argument’s sake, let’s pretend Vokal is mayor for a little while (because God knows Vokal falls asleep fantasizing about it on a nightly basis). If Vokal was mayor, he would have raised taxes. Nothing Vokal has said would save the city $14 million. If Vokal shows a solution that would save the city $14 million without raising taxes (and without kicking the can down the road), then I will be happy to post his press release on this blog. The truth is Vokal would have raised taxes or he would have kicked the can down the road just like he did in 2001. Vokal is sitting on the sideline criticizing Suttle while relishing in the fact Suttle is making all the difficult decisions necessary for Omaha’s future financial stability.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
First!!
Its definitely frustrating that Omaha is having such a difficult time balancing the city's budget. I really do feel bad for all the city employees who are being laid off and the libraries and pools and golf courses that are being shut down….and no one ever wishes for a reduction in police force or the number of fire fighters per truck. But just as Suttle has stated many times, Omaha needs to "get out of denial and face the music"! Cuts most definitely have to be made across the board to make up for the $13 million dollar shortfall and I for one think that Suttle is making the correct (albeit tough) decisions for the short term. So many Omahans seem to have lost their sense of reality. They want their cake and they want to eat it too, but they don't want to pay for it!
i lean to the left in terms of political views. i vote mainly democrat. but honestly, this article is garbage. i know jim vokal. and he's a good guy. this is nothing more than a politically motivated attack on jim's integrity and seriously.. it's a joke. jim was a pretty good council man and as a resident of midtown i can guarantee you he did more for my community than the idiot who wrote this trash.
As a proud Democrat, I have no problem paying taxes for city services that we use and that make us a better city and benefit the citizens of Omaha. I do, however, have a problem with the fact that Mayor Suttle does not lead by example by making sacrifices with his own salary, or by not leasing a brand new hybrid SUV. I have a problem with Suttle claiming to be a supporter of the arts community and then proposing a tax that targets and exploits the good that the arts community does for Omaha. I have a problem with Suttle closing a library in one of the most needy neighborhoods, rather than say, one in a neighborhood where most of its residents can drive to a bookstore, or a library in another area. Suttle has been in office for only 3 months, and he's already turned his back on the arts community, the poor, the disadvantaged, and our city's children with the closing of public pools. He's as much a Democrat as I am an astronaut.
I do think that Suttle gets a bad rap on the library closing. The decision on library hours and library closures is made by the Library Board, and most if not all board members are still serving out their terms from appointments made by a past Mayor. To blame Suttle for those decisions exposes the nature of his critics. Next they'll be asking to see Suttle's birth certificate.
Well, I think rocketwoman Noelle just made the author's point. I hear a lot of complaining, but not a lot of solutions. And for clarification the Library Board voted to close the Florence Library, not Jim Suttle. The Mayor doesn't control the library. Another point of clarification: arts organizations are exempt from the proposed entertainment tax. Noelle's a little quick to judge and complain but very slow to actually know what she is talking about. Just because a man has to make a decision that doesn't affirm his beliefs doesn't mean he has turned his back on them.
The SUV is a red herring, so are the salaries. So many people are quick to believe everything they read in Omaha's Fox news outlet (World Herald) they miss out on real truths. Convenient that the OWH never mentioned that the Public Works Director makes $165K, or that the City Attorney will be making more than $180K next year, or that the City Council pays 3 secretaries $65K each and also has a Chief of Staff getting $110K.
Convenient that they didn't make a big deal about Heineman appointing a political hack to run HHS at a 30% pay increase over his predecessor. Or that he appointed his senior staff at similar raises. The only one making less than their predecessor is the lone woman that Winterer brought with him. Where was the OWH on that stuff. Oh yeah, that's right. It's OK if you are a Republican. Wake up people. Know when you are being had by press with an agenda.
I don't think Jimmy V is in the wrong really. His Omaha PAC is pretty worthless, but it's a good way to keep his name in the public and have a very legitimate shot at the next mayoral election. A politician has to do what he has to do to keep his name in the news if he wants to run again.
Why didn't Jim Vokal take on this faux "watchdog" persona during the 8 YEARS he sat on the City Council? What a joke — Just sat by and kicked the problem down the road for Suttle to have to clean up.
As for the MECA appointment, that was obviously a generous soft-landing parting gift given by those masters of the universe he served so loyally while on the Council.
The city's budget is really screwed up — and Jim Vokal should not be allowed to escape responsibility for his 8 YEAR role in this fiasco.
Jim Suttle also kicked the problem down the road for 4 years and left the problem for Jim Suttle to clean up.
In breaking news, as expected, the City Council has rejected the proposed entertainment tax. Any guesses as to what services will take the hit?
Barack Obama has no experience but he is President of the United States.
Joseph Ratzinger has no experience but he is the Pope.
To "Mike". Wow, you live in Vokal's neighborhood & love him. I live in his neighborhood and am totally repulsed by the man. Yes, I'm a Democrat. Should Vokal be elected mayor by having the right timing — God help us — and I believe a lot of it has to do with timing and not competence, I pray that I am close enough to retirement to draw SS, sell my home and take my small business to another city. The man was NOT, I repeat, NOT responsive to me as a constituent in his district and I will work to see that he is never elected again to any office.