Announcements « City of Omaha Mayor’s Office

Mayor Suttle Unveils Initiative on Chronic Code Violations by Landlords

March 21, 2012

Announcements, Featured, In The Community, Public Safety

Interim Police Chief David Baker, City Prosecutor Marty Conboy, Jennifer Taylor, Mayor Suttle, Mike Battershell, Special Prosecutor Mike Getty, and Carl Christian, announce a new task force dealing with chronic code violations.

March 21, 2012 - Mayor Jim Suttle unveiled the first of two initiatives to assist in addressing crime in Omaha today. The Mayor issued an executive order establishing a special task force dealing with chronic code violations by landlords. The group is being asked to find ways of achieving safe, sanitary housing by identifying and solving problems created by landlords with significant building code violations.

"This problem was brought to our attention by neighborhood associations who had concerns about crime in areas with substandard housing," said Mayor Suttle. "Criminal activity tends to occur in areas where landlords neglect their property and have major building code violations. Like any business, landowners who rent property to others should meet basic legal standards to ensure safety in all neighborhoods."

"The task force is designed to bring law enforcement, elected officials and citizens together to find answers," said Marty Conboy, City Prosecutor. "By targeting problem properties in the city, we can work with landlords to comply with building codes or more aggressively prosecute those unwilling to cooperate."

The task force includes; Mayor Jim Suttle, District 2 City Councilmember Ben Gray, District 4 City Councilmember Garry Gernandt, Special City Prosecutor, Mike Getty, Special OPD Investigator, Officer James Stokes, Planning Department Chief Code Enforcement Inspector, Kevin Denker as well as three citizen members, Mike Battershell, Carl Christian, and Jennifer Taylor.

The group will identify landlords with chronic code violations in the city, establish a system for working with them to bring problem properties up to code using existing resources, and more aggressively prosecute landlords who refuse to correct code violations.

The group will submit a plan of action to the Mayor in 90 days.

Mayor Jim Suttle Announces New Partnership Aimed at Increasing Public Service and Providing Career Skills to Disadvantaged Youth

March 16, 2012

Announcements, In The Community

Mayor Suttle, Jim Farho President of Youth Emergency Services, Weston Thompson of Kent Bellows Studios Announce a New Collaboration Spear-headed by Omaha Serves

March 16, 2012 – This morning, Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle joined representatives of Youth Emergency Services and the Kent Bellows Studio to announce a new partnership aimed at increasing public service, building community pride, and providing disadvantaged youth with valuable career skills.

The program places homeless and at-risk youth with area non-profit organizations, allowing them to gain valuable work skills while improving their community. This spring they will be designing and painting murals throughout the community in conjunction with the Kent Bellows Studio. “This is a great way to teach our at risk youth valuable skills, while increase community engagement and combating graffiti,” said Mayor Suttle.

In addition to the Kent Bellows Studio, the Neighborhood Center has also signed on to be a partner in the project.

“Omaha Serves is about creating and promoting partnerships in our City to lift people out of poverty. We are excited and delighted that Youth Emergency Services will be working with neighborhood associations and nonprofit organizations to empower at –risk youth to use their skills and passions to lift up not only themselves but our community at large,” added Craig Howell, Omaha’s Chief Service Officer.

“I want to thank the City for being so quick to assist us in this effort, “ said Jim Farho, President of Youth Emergency Services. “This is about providing hope for the disadvantaged youth in our community.”

OMAHA AMONG 33 CITIES WORLDWIDE TO RECEIVE IBM SMARTER CITIES CHALLENGE GRANT

March 15, 2012

Announcements, Featured

Mayor Jim Suttle, David Harvey of IBM Omaha, Mayor's Assistant Grant Administrator Alec Gorynski, and Multiple Community Partners Announce Omaha's Award of the IBM Smarter Cities Grant

March 15, 2012,- Mayor Jim Suttle announced today that the City of Omaha was selected to receive an IBM Smarter Cities Challenge grant. The grant gives city leaders access to IBM’s business experts who will analyze and recommend ways Omaha can improve its economy though sustainable development and become an even better place to live and work.

The IBM Smarter Cities Challenge is a competitive grant program in which IBM is awarding a total of $50 million worth of technology and services to 100 municipalities worldwide through 2013. Omaha was one of 8 U.S. cities and 33 cities worldwide chosen this year to work with IBM experts who will provide analysis and recommendations on how the community can achieve successful growth, better delivery of municipal services, more citizen engagement, and improved efficiency.

IBM selected cities that made the strongest case for participating in the Smarter Cities Challenge. During these engagements, IBM technical experts, researchers and consultants immerse themselves in local issues and offer a range of options and recommended next-steps. Among the issues they examine are healthcare, education, safety, social services, transportation, sustainability, budget management and energy. The City of Omaha will work with a grant-funded IBM team on ways of improving our economy through sustainable community development.

“The cities that have been selected are all different, but they had one clear similarity: the strong personal commitment by the city’s leadership to put in place the changes needed to help the city make smarter decisions,” said Stanley S. Litow, IBM vice president of Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs, and President of IBM’s International Foundation. “These cities demonstrated a desire to set an example for other municipalities, an eagerness to collaborate with multiple stakeholders, and a strong commitment to consider implementing recommendations the city felt would be the most feasible and beneficial to their residents.”

IBM’s consultants and technology specialists will help municipalities prioritize their needs, review strengths and weaknesses, and learn from the successful strategies used by other cities worldwide. After studying the role that intelligent technology might play in uniting and advancing different aspects of city life, IBM then outlines a range of concrete strategies designed to help make cities healthier, safer, smarter, more prosperous, and attractive to current and prospective residents and businesses.

A consistent theme in these projects is the collecting, sharing, analyzing and acting on data generated by urban interactions and transactions. Such information can include everything from school test scores, smartphone adoption, crime statistics, foot and vehicle traffic, to tax revenue and library usage. Correlations are then made that link seemingly unrelated aspects of urban life to develop innovative and cost effective strategies to address persistent challenges.

“We have made progress in stabilizing our economy but this kind of assistance from experts at IBM, will allow us to really tap into more innovative way we can meet the needs of the citizens we serve,” said Mayor Suttle. “It is exciting to be given this opportunity. We look forward to working with the team of experts from IBM and thank them for selecting Omaha.”.

Mayor Suttle’s Statement on the Passage of Omaha’s Equal Employment Ordinance

March 13, 2012

Announcements

March 13, 2012 - I applaud the City Council for their actions today and I look forward to signing this ordinance into law. I want to thank Councilman Ben Gray for his dedication and leadership in bringing this action forward, not once but twice, and for working with community leaders and his colleagues on the Council to find consensus for a final ordinance.

Omaha is a city that welcomes diversity, embraces fresh ideas, and is open for business to everyone. Allowing discrimination in our city is wrong-for our citizens and our businesses. With a robust local economy and an increasingly talented workforce, Omaha is well positioned to be one of the most vibrant and innovative cities of the 21st Century. However, in order to compete against similarly sized cities and attract talented workers to Omaha, we must make it clear that our doors are open to individuals of all backgrounds.

Omaha is famous for being a welcoming city that loves its neighbors and treats them with respect. By passing this ordinance, the City Council has made official what I’ve known all along-that Omaha is a city open to everyone.

Mayor Suttle, Papio-Missouri River NRD Announce $2 Million in Levy Repairs

March 9, 2012

Announcements

March 9, 2012 - Today, Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle joined representatives from the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District Board (NRD) in announcing a $2 Million contribution from the NRD towards the improvement, and recertification by FEMA, of Omaha’s levee system.

The $2 Million contribution, which is in addition to the $15 Million pledged for repairs by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, will be used to improve the City’s flood prevention infrastructure along with Missouri River.

"Omaha has emerged from the recession with one of the strongest economies in the nation," said Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle. "A strong levee system will allow Omaha to preserve its economic assets, keep our residents employed, and continue our City’s economic success."

The flood of 2011 presented many challenges to the City and the NRD, which maintains over 85 miles of levees along the Missouri and Platte Rivers which protect the Omaha Metro Area.

"The City and NRD have a strong working relationship," said Mayor Suttle. "We have a history of working together to protect our critical natural resources and will continue to do everything we can to protect our City from flooding."

Omaha Police Chief Alex Hayes To Retire

March 5, 2012

Announcements, Public Safety

March 5, 2012: Omaha Police Chief Alex Hayes will be retiring after two and half years as head of the Police Department. The Chief, who has been with Omaha Police for more than 25 years, informed Mayor Suttle today that he would retire March 30, 2012.

“Chief Hayes has been an asset to this community and he will be greatly missed,” said Mayor Suttle. “He has set a standard for public safety that we will continue to model in his absence. We will work with the Chief and his leadership team to maintain continuity during this transition so residents can be sure that our streets and neighborhoods remain safe.”

“My decision to retire at this time was personal and was not an easy decision to make,” said Police Chief Alex Hayes. “I will be working with my staff, community leaders, and the Mayor’s office to make sure there is a smooth transition for the community at large. It has been a privilege to work for the citizens of Omaha.”
“Under Chief Hayes’ leadership the police department has embraced community policing and worked successfully to collaborate with community organizations and neighborhood associations throughout the city to lower the rate of violent crime and get illegal guns off the streets,” said Mayor Suttle. “He has done a lot to improve citizen outreach in our community and those efforts will continue.”

According to Mayor Suttle, Hayes was willing to look at internal procedural changes and the reallocation of personnel in order to make the police department more efficient in managing resources and crime in Omaha. Chief Hayes made improvements in technology, such as reestablishing cameras in cruisers and implementing the Shot Spotter system which allows officers to respond instantly to the exact location of shots fired in the city. This has assisted officers in making arrests and getting guns off the streets.

Chief Hayes also enhanced the risk management program, putting more resources in place as well as creating new checks and balances for officers, improving their ability to do their jobs more effectively, and reducing public complaints. The Omaha Police department, with Chief Hayes’ leadership, is continuing its efforts to be more transparent by working to make non-tactical police procedures available to the public.
The Mayor will appoint an acting Chief between now and March 30th.

City of Omaha Mayor’s Office

Announcements Archive

Mayor Suttle Unveils Initiative on Chronic Code Violations by Landlords

Mayor Jim Suttle Announces New Partnership Aimed at Increasing Public Service and Providing Career Skills to Disadvantaged Youth

OMAHA AMONG 33 CITIES WORLDWIDE TO RECEIVE IBM SMARTER CITIES CHALLENGE GRANT

Mayor Suttle’s Statement on the Passage of Omaha’s Equal Employment Ordinance

Mayor Suttle, Papio-Missouri River NRD Announce $2 Million in Levy Repairs

Omaha Police Chief Alex Hayes To Retire

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