Candidates in hot races for the Lincoln County Commissioners took questions Monday night about the challenges of growth, economic development, rising property taxes, and developing renewable energy.

Two candidates, Chris Bruns and Nancy Seifer Nelson, differed on the status of road improvements that are envisioned to handle more traffic in and around the developing Rail Park/ Inland Port near Hershey.

Bruns and Nelson are running for the District 4 commissioner seat. Bruns has held the seat for nearly four years. Seifer, an ag producer and substitute teacher, is mounting a challenge.

Adding immediacy to the process, the outcome will be determined by primary election day, May 14, because both candidates are Republicans.

Bruns and Nelson

First, the candidates were asked to introduce themselves and say why they consider themselves qualified to run.

Bruns, who was elected in 2020 has been asked several times in recent months, “What have you done right and what qualifies you to keep going?”

He said as he looks at the past four years, he is genuinely excited about the community and changes that are happening.

He decided to run for commissioner to foster economic opportunities for his kids to call Lincoln County their home someday, and he is glad to be involved in the development of Sustainable Beef and Inland Port/Rail Park.

Bruns said he’s also fought for individual and property right by helping make Lincoln County a Second Amendment sanctuary county and standing against President Joe Biden’s “30 by 30” initiative. And, he’s made commissioner’s meetings more transparent by successfully advocating for livestreamed meetings that are archived for the public.

Nelson graduated from McCook Community College in 1986 with a degree in Security.  For 15 years, she worked for ShopKo, K-Mart, and Sixth Street Foods as a security officer, working her way into a human resources position with Sixth Street. In 2002, she returned to the family farm near Sutherland.

Besides working on the farm, she was a part-time rural mail carrier, giving her knowledge of the county roads. She works as a substitute teacher for North Platte and Paxton. With her daughter grown, she has time to do what it takes to be a good county commissioner.

She said she considered running for office with trepidation, but decided if she can handle 21 first-graders, she could handle a run for office. She said has a servant’s heart and is is a hard worker by nature.  

She said she is glad that commissioner meeting are livestreamed, but not enough people know that they are. She plans to watch, listen, think, and make the best decisions possible. She is not a politician, is not running to fulfill a personal agenda, and has no desire for higher office. 

Wind, solar energy

Bruns said he has personal feelings about renewable energy, but has learned that as an elected official, he must listen to the thoughts and feelings of those he serves. Bruns said he found the regulations about renewable energy in Lincoln County inadequate and pushed for a moratorium, so the regulations would be correct and appropriate for Lincoln County. Bruns said the commissioners are far from experts and are utilizing Marvin Planning Consultants to conduct an in-depth study of renewable energy regulations.

“We can’t outright ban wind and solar in Lincoln County, but we can have language that protects our natural resources,” he said.

Nelson said she would not consider a renewable energy project on her property but is committed to listening to her constituents. She said there is a lot of work to do on the topic. She said planning and zoning regulations and the setbacks and placements of transmission lines need to be reviewed.

Nelson said it demands a good comprehensive study. She fears the proposals that are presented so far would only benefit the Nebraska Public Power District, N-CORPE, and out-of-state corporations, not residents. And it will take farm and ranch land out of production. Nelson said she would listen to both sides and make an educated decision. 

Protecting county resources while attracting businesses

Bruns said the economic opportunity created by Sustainable Beef is long overdue and we must continue the momentum of beef processing, the rail park, and the inland port, which is only possible with the proper infrastructure in place and support from law enforcement. Economic growth will only succeed if local governments work together to address housing and infrastructure needs.

Bruns said he hopes to see the economic momentum capitalized and sustained. 

Nelson is grateful for the economic developments. But with all the growth, we must remember the farmers, she said. She voiced concern with the amount of ag land that would be needed to put in a transportation loop around North Platte. Nelson said months ago, she read about the potential project that would protect the town from increased traffic, but questioned if there was sufficient concern for ag families. She said the stakeholders have met, and questioned who took part of the meeting about applying for federal funds to do a detailed road study.

Nelson wanted to know if there were any ag people at the stakeholders’ meeting. She said there was no public discussion about the proposed loop and the county already struggles to take care of its roads. She said there needs to be a way to unite all parties in an honest and open discussion. 

Bruns said the commissioners have yet to determine if any new roads will be needed. He said the county board unanimously authorized a stakeholder meeting to discuss how to ensure that sizeable businesses aren’t hindered by a lack of infrastructure. The commissioners saw a need for a study to ascertain what needs, if any, there will be.

Bruns said they applied for federal funds to hire experts to look at the existing roads, what projects will be needed, and what should be done. He said the commissioners agreed that if extensive roads are needed, a vast amount of public input would be needed throughout all phases. 

He said hundreds of tractor-trailers could be going through Hershey and North Platte, and experts can tell the county what is needed.

Nelson said there needs to be more transparency. She said she read the grant application, and proposed routes are listed. She said there should not be any proposed routes and whoever is hired should come in and look at it all without any pre-ordained plans. 

County expenses, property taxes

Nelson said property taxes will be the most challenging issue she will face as a county commissioner. She said the tax base must be increased. She said the government doesn’t need to get bigger; no new departments are required. Nelson said they need to continue to reduce the budget and she would work with each department to reduce spending.

Bruns said he would continue to control spending. He said the county’s share of property taxes has been reduced by $1 million in actual dollars since he took office, and he asks in every decision, “How does this affect the budget?”

Bruns said services can be expanded by working to create efficiency. If reelected, he would continue to control spending, shrink government where possible, and expand services.

What do you want to accomplish?

Nelson said the first step in improving Lincoln County is expanding the tax base, followed by ensuring the safety and adequacy of our roads. She would like to partner with new industries and schools to inform students of local job opportunities.

She said spending must be controlled and the size of the government needs to be smaller. Nelson wants to improve the functionality and ensure the efficiency of each department. She said the most significant thing she wants to accomplish is listening to and doing the people’s will.

Nelson said she doesn’t want accolades or acknowledgments; she wants to serve the people to the best of her ability. 

Bruns wants to continue to build on his proven record. He wants to build upon the things he has helped to accomplish in the last four years:

• Making the county government more efficient.
• Implementing new technologies.
• Helping inform the people.
• Economic development.
• Improving the property tax situation.
• Inland Port is realizing its full potential.

Bruns wants to continue his work over the last four years, controlling spending, fighting for individual liberties and property rights, reducing taxes, making government more efficient, and working to provide economic opportunities.  

The forum was produced by RA Productions and the Lincoln County Cattlemen. Nebraska Board of Education President Elizabeth Tegtmeier and Bulletin Editor George Lauby asked the questions.

(We will have more reports on the candidates at the forum, including Joe Hewgley and Stuart Simpson in the District 1 Commissioner race, as well as the three city council competitors for the Ward 4 seat. – Editor)

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