Bait and switch

by Veronica Clark

During the past holiday season, we heard much from the Omaha Police Department about putting more officers on the beat to enforce seat-belt laws and to create check points to catch those driving under the influence of too much holiday cheer. The by-product of these extra hours worked is to take criminals off the streets and to ensure the safety of the public. Throughout the year, the average citizen would be grateful to have an increased police presence but the concern is always the cost to taxpayers. It is during the special holidays, like New Year’s or St. Patrick’s Day that the OPD sends out a press release to herald special grant money that will be used to pay the overtime officers working to man the special projects. We as a city sigh a small breath of relief as we wipe away a burden on our tax dollars.
However, is that burden erased permanently? Most officers who work the needed overtime are close to retirement and the extra hours put in on overtime will benefit them in one way besides their current paycheck: it will affect their pensions. In figuring pensions for retiring officers, one component taken into account is overtime worked while on active duty. The more overtime the officer participated in is figured into the check he receives for the rest of his days. That is assured by the contract negotiated by the Fraternal Order of Police.
So as taxpayers, the increased police force paid for by special grants to cover overtime will cost us exponentially more due to pensions paid by the OPD through the city of Omaha. In 2007, almost $12.3 million will be given to the pension program and $1.2 million will be allocated to overtime pay, with only $184,000 coming from actual grants. There has also been uproar over retired police officers being offered administrative positions with commensurate salary rather than hiring a civilian to do the job. Double dipping is a faux pas at a party, perhaps the same should be said for the police department and it’s financial dipping.
Considering the recent violence in North and South Omaha and the cry from citizens of those neighborhoods asking for increased police presence, Mayor Mike Fahey replied, “We cannot rely solely on the police. Even if we had an officer on every corner, we still need help from the people to help us out and turn the bad guys in.” This recent upswing in violence does show a hole in the police presence in those parts of Omaha. In the 2007 budget, there is special note of “North and South Investigations Units” which are lumped in with Homicide, Special Victims Unit, Gang Unit, Criminal Analysis, Narcotics Unit and others. The total combined budget: $62 million dollars compared with the uniformed services budget of just over $44 million.
Perhaps the grant writer (salary $58,000) could focus on obtaining high dollar checks earmarked especially for areas that require increased police presence. With the new fiscal year already set in the books, perhaps in the coming year the police department could hire a fiduciary overseer, a position that could take the place of the grant writer or Clerk Typist 1 (which would be a retired officer drawing a pension and a paycheck) to maintain oversight on how the department is allocating its funds without a monopoly on keeping the money “in the family”.
To claim that the burden on the taxpayers is lightened by grants, only to have the time worked increase pensions paid out over decades and to use retired police officers to fill positions that many civilians would be grateful to have (and to boost the economy, eh, Mayor?) is a bait and switch move and is an egregious use of city funds. The magnifying glass is now on the OPD, but it is not yet clear what kind of heat it can create behind the shield.

 M.U.D. about something...

By Veronica Clark

John Novacek is thankful that this is not supposed to be a cold January. Recently he was informed along with his neighbors on N street in South Omaha that their gas meters were being replaced and the gas main was going to be shut off. This was the latest in the revolving meters in Mr. Novacek’s house and the “straw” that broke the gas line concerning his patience with MUD.
As with many houses in Mr. Novacek’s neighborhood, his was built before 1920 and many of the utilities have had to be upgraded as technology progressed. However, two years ago, he began receiving letters from MUD stating that his gas and water meters needed to be upgraded to a digital variety so they could be scanned rather than having a utility worker visually report the usage. His gas meter is located in the basement and the water meter is located in a pit on the side of the house facing the street. Resigned to having the meters replaced, Mr. Novacek was livid when he returned home to find the water and gas meters had been switched and the water completely shut off.
“MUD said that the valve was inoperative and they had to shut it (the water) off to replace the meter. The problem is that they didn’t turn it back on.” Mr. Novacek has been vocal about his dissatisfaction of the utility company and when the customer service agent told him it would be restored at their convenience, when a crew was available, he felt it was part retribution.
“I am a paid-in-full customer, in fact, up until recently I was working off of built-up credit. Why couldn’t they have restored the water once the valve was replaced?” After the water service was restored, he noticed that there was zero water pressure. Again, he contacted the customer service department where he was met with less than acceptable customer service. “I was told if there was an issue with the water that I should hire a private plumber to check out the issue, pay for it out of my own pocket and file a claim with MUD. If they decided that they had anything to do with the problem, then I may be partially reimbursed.”
The next blow came a few weeks ago with the news that the gas meter was going to be moved outside and the gas main was being shut-off during the process. “They just replaced that meter in the basement! Why didn’t they switch it out at that time? How much is this costing MUD?” When contacted, a representative from MUD stated that the practice of replacing new meters and relocating them happens frequently and it runs on a “lottery” system. It is not planned. Considering the stockholder ownership of the utility company, it is not doing a very good job with efficiency.
For people like John, he is paying the ultimate price for any kind of upgrades. With gas prices on the rise and the average customer seeing a 3.1% increase in their MUD fees, the cost of relocating meters that have just recently been replaced is fiscally questionable. The burden of upgrades and cost increases are inevitable and necessary. Nevertheless, why should the burden of poor customer service, lack of basic service and the need to set up an appointment on MUD’s timetable to replace their equipment be necessary? Add another inconvenience to take time off work as MUD must gain access to your property to relocate the meter on their generous timeline.
For Mr. Novacek, a taxpayer and concerned citizen who keeps all of his financial accounts current, he just doesn’t understand the waste and the total inconvenience placed on honest, hard-working people. “Is there anyone at MUD who is planning these projects? Is there anyone who cares?”

Miss Nebraska, not just another pretty face

By M. J. DeLost

Beauty pageants have not changed much over the past fifty years, but the women involved certainly have. When most of us think of Miss Nebraska or Miss America, we assume it’s all about the show and not the substance. We have a tendency to associate pageants with swimsuits, beaded gowns and crowns, and how each contestant wants to change the world, as we know it by finding the cure for AIDs or feeding the children of third world nations. Over the years though, the pageants have gone through many changes. Today, the women involved are focusing on problems that can be solved on a more personal level, and can be done in a timeframe that can usually affect the public within the term of their one-year reign as Miss Nebraska or Miss America.
I recently attended a Pachyderm Club meeting (a Republican Party Club) at Charlie’s on the Lake restaurant. Quite a few recognizable, local members of the Republican party were there including Pete Ricketts; Joni Craighead, the author and mother of Miss Pre-Teen Nebraska; John Seiler; and Brooke Matthews, Miss Nebraska 2004, who works with the American Heart Association.
While at the meeting, I was fortunate to have an opportunity to hear a speech given by the current Miss Nebraska, Molly McGrath. Normally the Pachyderm Club would have featured a political speaker, but now since the election is over and we have all had our share of political rhetoric for the year, it’s time we move on to other things.
I visited with Miss McGrath for a short while before she gave her speech and I was highly impressed that she was not at all what I thought a beauty queen would be like. She is a beautiful young woman, 23 years old, but most of all her intelligence shined. A student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha working on her Master’s Degree, Molly also attended New York University where she majored in Economics and Journalism. She was accepted into the Honor Society while at NYU and she is also a Rhodes Scholar State Finalist and winner of the New York University Faculty Memorial Award, New York University Trustees’ Scholarship and Chancellor’s Grant.
When the World Trade Center was attacked, Molly was living in New York, only 2 miles north of the towers. In the moments and days that followed, Molly’s life was drastically changed, as were so many others. She decided from that day on to take advantage of her freedom and never again let fear stand in her way. 
Miss McGrath knows what it is like to struggle. During her years at NYU, she cleaned dorm rooms to help with expenses. She has taken advantage of her education and used it help those who need it the most. Molly works to help the uninformed learn how to access information that will help them change their financial circumstances. She also teaches them to use banks instead of the check cashing corner stores that charge loan shark fees. She uses the Miss Nebraska crown to further economic empowerment and hopefully she will become Miss America in January and bring her dream to fruition here in Nebraska and the other 49 states.
Molly is someone that young women can definitely look up to. Today, most role models for young girls are Britneys or Jessicas, but truly, they are just eye candy and do not measure up to someone who wants to make their mark on the world and help others improve their lives. Beauty comes from within and Miss McGrath understands this. Granted, she would like to bring celebrity back to the crown and I for one, believe that she will be the one to do it. Celebrity and service to community go hand in hand. Celebrity does help get the job done, but you have to have the attitude to go with it and the brains to make it work. Molly has it all and you can feel it when you are in her presence.
Molly has been working for economic and financial stability with organizations like the Nebraska Council on Economic Education, a non-profit organization that is part of the National Council. She is the spokesperson for the Family Economic Success Initiative, which deals with asset and wealth development and the earned income commission. As Molly says it and says it well, “We own our resources; we can do what we want with them.”
Molly also talked about preparing for the Miss America Pageant, which will air on CMT, January 29th from Las Vegas, Nevada. Her talent is dance and as far as the swimsuit and evening gown competition goes, she has given up Burger King, Mountain Dew and a few other delights that she says are not that easy to do away with. Molly has traveled extensively over the past year to prepare for the pageant, visiting Dallas, Kansas City, Oklahoma City and Denver for image and wardrobe consultations. Her goals are to bring back Miss America’s celebrity status; increase sponsorship for the program; promote the platform with national summits; and to get the people talking about Miss America once again.
From this writer’s point of view, it would be an honor to see Molly become Miss America and bring Nebraska into the limelight. Nebraska has never had a contestant win the Miss America Pageant, but Molly may just be the one to do it.

Sports

Alex Nikiforuk, fast paced and reaching for his goals

By M.J. DeLost

Before his 16th birthday, Alex Nikiforuk already had a plan in action. He left his home in Kelowna, British Columbia, a town with a population just under 110,000 people, to follow his dream to play junior hockey in Canada. 
Nikiforuk’s hockey career was quite impressive prior to coming to the United States. As team captain of the Salmon Arm Silverbacks, he led the league in scoring during the 2002-2003 season, 49-57-106. He also played for the Burnaby Bulldogs in 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 and tallied 27-43-70 and 19-49-68 respectively, again being named a captain and being counted on to help guide and lead the team and its young players.
Later, some of the finest universities in the United States recruited him. Nikiforuk took official visits to Dartmouth, Northern Michigan, and Brown University before choosing to play for the University of Nebraska at Omaha Mavericks. Nikiforuk’s reason for choosing Nebraska was due to the fact as he puts it, “Great School, Great Hockey, and a Great Education.” He also insisted that UNO had one of the finest business programs and a great coaching staff, so that made it a very easy choice to choose UNO.
I met Alex during his first year at UNO and found him to be a remarkable and intelligent young man who seemed quite at ease living in Omaha. Alex was a stranger in town, but quickly made friends with the locals and fellow students. Even though I knew little about this young man, I could see immediately that he was going to make it in whatever endeavors he undertook.
During Nikiforuk’s first year, he played in 35 games.  He scored his first goal 19 seconds into his first collegiate game against Wisconsin. Alex’s first year was off to a great start where he finished in the top five in team scoring with 6-14-20. In his sophomore year at UNO, he doubled his rookie goal total and once again finished as one of the top five scorers with the Mavericks with 12-11-23. Alex had four multi-point games throughout his sophomore season, including a career-high two goals win over Bowling Green as well as 5 power play goals.
In his junior year at UNO, Alex was named alternate captain of the Mavericks as voted by his teammates and had his first career hat trick in the 3-2 victory over Army to open the season. Later on that same weekend, Nikiforuk was named Tournament MVP for the Maverick Stampede.  He was also named CCHA Offensive Player of the Week in October that year and finished second on the team with seven power play goals, first on the team in Game-Winning Goals and fifth in points again with 13-10-23.
Since Alex has been in Omaha he has worked as a waiter at Charlie’s On the Lake restaurant and I have even seen him shoveling snow for some of the residents around town. Alex’s work ethic is impeccable and has been a real asset to the community.
Now into his senior year, he is currently tied for the team lead with 8-20-28 in only 19 Games and is currently only one class away from obtaining a degree in Marketing and a minor in Management.  Alex has a 3.8 GPA and takes his studies very seriously, because he is scared his mom might fly down here and….. well you know the rest!
Alex has matured over the past four years; he has shown his teachers, coaches and teammates that he has the leadership skills and work ethics learned from other great Maverick athletes, but most importantly from his coach Mike Kemp. He also knows that playing hockey in addition to having to study must be time managed in order to accomplish his dreams. His dreams, like most, are to accomplish those things in life that we hold dear. Alex’s dream just happens to be hockey and his hope one day is to play in the American Hockey League or over in Europe. Hopefully, Alex will remain in the States, and play for one of our teams.  He certainly has made us proud here in Omaha and whatever he does or wherever he goes, we know that he will succeed as he does for the Mavericks and will continue to do in his last season playing for UNO.