OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — It's something we see every day, across all of our neighborhoods: potholes and roadwork. Issues like these were highlighted in this year's mayoral race, and now, as John Ewing Jr. takes office.
- Ewing says he plans to create a continuous plan for street repair.
- He recently visited Denver with family and said he didn't see any potholes there. He plans to reach out to Denver to see what they are doing.
- Ewing says he's recently learned more about the potential benefits of the streetcar and is leaning toward being a strong supporter to make projects like this a reality.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"If we don't have a continuous plan for street repair, we are never going to get it done, and we're also going to potentially go back to when the streets were even worse in the past," Ewing said.
Ewing told me he recently took a family trip to Denver before taking office.
"While I was there, I kept looking for potholes, and I didn't find any. So one of the first things I am going to do is say, 'Hey, let's find out what Denver is doing,'" Ewing said.
Reporter Molly Hudson reached out to our sister station in Denver, KMGH; they sent over some video. To be fair, they told us potholes are an issue there too.
Molly: "Do you feel like you can accomplish that with the team you have in public works?"
Ewing: "I do."
Over the last couple of years, we've seen downtown roads torn up in preparation for Omaha's future streetcar.
Molly: "Would you have done the streetcar differently? Would you have done it at all if it wasn't already in motion?"
Ewing: "I would have done it differently, because I believe that if you give people the indication that it should go to a vote or that you want it to go to a vote, then that should have happened."
Ewing says he's recently learned more about the potential benefits of the streetcar and is leaning toward being a strong supporter to make projects like this a reality.
"It is my responsibility to make sure they get completed on time and that they get completed well so that the citizens of this community can benefit from them and then look at how we can make those things as successful as possible. I'm now responsible," Ewing said.
Reporter Molly Hudson spoke to the mayor-elect about several other topics, including development, policing, and overall quality of life. We'll have those answers for you this week as our series leading up to his swearing-in continues.
And if you missed part one of this series where we discussed the last few weeks and the staff he's looking to keep around, you can find that story here.
