Nebraska Legislature, District 7: Two vie to represent majority Latino district

LINCOLN — The race for downtown and South Omaha's Legislative District 7 seat pits a proud son of Mexican immigrants against an equally proud S.O.B., aka, South Omaha Boy.

The first is Dunixi Guereca, who won the most votes in the four-way primary election. The second is Tim Pendrell, who claimed second place in May. They are competing to replace State Sen. Tony Vargas, who is term-limited and barred from seeking reelection.

District 7 runs from Cuming Street and Abbott Drive to the Douglas-Sarpy county line, and from U.S. 75 east to the Missouri River. The district encompasses some of the city's oldest neighborhoods, including recently developed condos and apartments in downtown Omaha.

The winner in November will represent Nebraska's only majority Latino legislative district. U.S. Census Bureau figures show that 52% of district residents are Latino, while 48% are White. Politically, the district is heavily Democratic, as are both candidates. Among voters, 48% are registered as Democrats, with 32% nonpartisan and 20% Republican.

Guereca, whose first name is pronounced Doo-nix-ee, is the executive director of Stand For Schools, an organization supporting public schools. He previously worked as a union organizer for the Service Employees International Union. He is also a national officer for Young Democrats of America and was formerly president of Nebraska Young Democrats.

The child of Mexican immigrants who came to the United States for a better life, he said his story reflects that of South Omaha, an area known for taking in waves of immigrants. He campaigns on his support for everyday working people.

"I talk about my story and my experience being a long-time champion of working people and working Nebraskans," he said. "It's about worker empowerment. If you work hard, you deserve a shot at the American dream."

Guereca lists his priorities as strong public schools, good paying and safe jobs, access to quality and affordable health care, affordable housing, safe streets and lower property taxes. He said better funding for public schools would help with property taxes but the state needs to find more revenue to achieve that goal. He said online gambling would be one potential source of revenue..

As part of his Stand for Schools job, he worked on getting the referendum on the ballot aimed at repealing the new state-sponsored scholarships for private and parochial school students. He also supports the measures to require paid sick leave for workers and legalize medical marijuana. He said he supports Initiative 439, a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights until fetal viability, saying the issue is about being able to make deeply personal health care decisions.

Guereca has been endorsed by Vargas, the incumbent, along with four other state lawmakers and a number of unions. He also has the fundraising edge heading into the general election. He had raised $161,792 through September. His largest donation, $25,000, came from the Way Back PAC, which largely supports Democratic candidates in the Mountain West.

Pendrell, who grew up in South Omaha, works as a legislative aide to Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha. He was previously executive director of Nebraska City Tourism and Commerce and a grant administrator for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services. He also spent a year in AmeriCorps/VISTA working with Habitat for Humanity of Omaha.

He touts his roots in the district and said he believes South Omaha has been overlooked when it comes to state dollars. He said he wants to build on his experience helping craft major economic development legislation and helping direct federal and state investment to the community.

"I understand our struggles because they're my own," he said, "and with five years of experience working in the Legislature, I'm ready to fight for us from day one."

Pendrell lists his priorities as creating jobs and career pathways, public safety including curbing street racing, roads funding, education financing and workforce development and providing resources for homelessness and mental health issues. He argues that the state has enough money to reduce property taxes sustainably by funneling existing property tax credits into school aid.

He said he has not studied this year's ballot measures and doesn't know yet how he will vote on them. While he said he believes abortion is a personal medical decision, a position similar to Initiative 439, he said he wants to dig into the specifics of the measure before supporting it. Likewise, he said he supports the idea of paid sick leave and medical marijuana but isn't sure about the ballot measures. He also said he questions the constitutionality of the state-sponsored private school scholarship program but doesn't know if he will vote to repeal the law that created them.

Pendrell has been endorsed by McDonnell and three other current and former state senators, along with former Omaha Mayor PJ Morgan and others. As of July, he had raised $60,346, with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers PAC as his largest donor at $3,500.

, 402-670-2402, twitter.com/stoddardOWH

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