Election season is heating up, and eyes are fixed on Lincoln’s 25th Legislative District.
Nicki Behmer Popp, a local business owner, relator, and member of the Lincoln Airport Authority board, has announced she will run for the southeast Lincoln senate seat.
Behmer Popp’s community ties run deep. With her husband, she started Provision Realty Group with RE/MAX Concepts which has operated for the better part of the last decade. She serves on the board for Civic Nebraska and The Lied Center for Performing Art’s ‘Friends of Lied’, and is also a member of the Governmental Affairs Committee for the Realtor’s Association of Lincoln, serving on the public policy subcommittee. Nicki is also no stranger to Nebraska’s Unicameral…she spent 10 years in the legislature in roles that involved assisting in policy-making decisions and advocacy. She holds an M.A. from the University of Nebraska and a B.A from Hastings College.
“I decided to run because our Unicameral Legislature is truly a special place. Having had the opportunity to work there, first as a member of the Unicameral information office and then as a legislative aide, I think I’ve always known that serving in that institution would be an honor,” Behmer Popp told KLIN News.
As far as legislative priorities, she has three key issues in mind, first, housing affordability and homeownership. “As a realtor, I work closely with buyers, sellers, home builders and developers. I know first hand how high prices have gotten for building new homes, preowned homes, and for necessities…housing should be a top priority for this state because it is directly correlated with economic development and job creation,” said Behmer Popp.
Tying directly into another priority of hers, supporting small businesses. Nicki said, “As a small business owner myself, I truly believe that small businesses are the lifeblood of this state. There’s a large number of them in my district alone, and they deserve someone on their side who understands the complexities of starting and running a business.”
Lastly, Nicki emphasized, “I’m a huge advocate for our public schools. I have two kids in middle school this year, and many of my friends and neighbors are teachers, principals and administrative staff. I know the struggles they face with burnout at higher rates than ever before, workforce shortages just like in other sectors, students having a difficult time recovering from lost learning after the COVID pandemic, yet these teachers and staff still go to work and provide a safe and effective learning environment for our kids. We need to show them support in any way we can, and that also includes funding for our university system, which I’m a proud graduate of. I want to help keep tuition affordable because the university plays such a significant role in education and attracting new people and jobs to our state.”
When asked about her stance on the passage of the controversial school funding bill, LB753 which provides a tax credit voucher to individuals or businesses who make donations to organizations providing scholarships to students for private schooling, she said, “I certainly support keeping our taxpayer dollars for public education. This is one, where I understand both sides…and I get what they’re trying to accomplish in terms of private education and being able to address the needs of a certain population. I’m not opposed to addressing those issues. I just would say that I don’t support doing it through the taxpayer dollars for public education. I don’t like to see those funds diverted from our public schools.”
Nicki Behmer Popp will run Non-Partisan. She said “Its the heart of where I’m at. I think that comes from my past work experience at the capital. My goal as a state senator is to be effective not divisive. Relationship building and bring people together based off of what they have in common.”
Nebraska’s 25th legislative district incumbent candidate is Carolyn Bosn, who was appointed to the position by Governor Jim Pillen earlier this year following the resignation of Suzanne Geist. Who resigned her position to focus on her bid for Lincoln Mayor, which she lost to incumbent Leirion Gaylor Baird. KLIN News asked Nicki what distinctions she was willing to draw between her and her opponent, “I will not attack her character. I can only make an assumption from what I observed watching this past legislative session. Our key difference is who we feel we answer to. She was appointed by the governor, so I’m sure there’s some pressure there to advocate for his agenda. My agenda is to focus on the real issues facing our district.”
More information on Nicki Behmer Popp’s campaign, visit her website: nickifornebraska.com
(Photo Courtesy: Nicki for Nebraska)