'People are fed up': Bellevue Mayor-elect Kevin Pflager prepares for transition after defeating Rusty Hike

BELLEVUE, Neb. (KMTV) — Bellevue Mayor-elect Kevin Pflager says he is preparing to take office after defeating incumbent Mayor Rusty Hike, a victory he believes was part of a broader desire for change among voters.

“It was kinda a shock to see my name up there with people voting for me,” Pflager said.

A week before the election, Pflager said he entered the race because he wanted change and felt no one else was willing to run. Following his victory, he said that appetite for change extended well beyond Bellevue.

“This was definitely an election for change and I’d be naive to say people wanting change all across the board didn’t help me out,” Pflager said. “People are fed up. Everything’s really expensive right now.”

Now, Pflager is turning his attention to the transition.

He said Hike contacted him after the election to congratulate him on the win. Pflager, in turn, congratulated Hike on his eight years as mayor.

The two are expected to meet next week to discuss the transition and several major projects currently underway in Bellevue.

“Neither one of us want to see Bellevue, you know, take a big clunk clunk to get going again,” Pflager said. “We just want it to be one smooth line.”

Pflager said their meeting will include discussions about the Mattel Adventure Park, the REACH development and other active projects in the city.

Hike confirmed the upcoming meeting and said he hopes the projects continue successfully under Pflager, particularly given the hundreds of millions of dollars tied to development. Hike says he's still "all about Bellevue."

Pflager said another priority before taking office will be meeting with city department heads.

“Meeting with all the department heads, just finding out where they’re at and what I can do to continue supporting them,” Pflager said.

Some Bellevue residents at American Heroes Park said they supported Hike because of the development projects underway during his administration. Still, they said they believe Pflager could be a good fit for the job if he has the right conversations as he takes over leadership of the city.

Pflager will be sworn into office on Dec. 1.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.