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District 41 in the Sand Hills of central Nebraska is home to farmers and ranchers, to endless acres of corn and fields of grazing cattle, to small towns and family-owned businesses. On Tuesday, Kate Sullivan defeated Paul Eurek with 52-48 percent of the vote to become the district's next representative in the Nebraska Legislature.
District 41 spans almost 5,000 square miles in eight counties and part of a ninth, including Antelope, Boone, Garfield, Wheeler, Valley, Greeley, Sherman, Howard and a portion of Hall.
Candidates Sullivan and Eurek campaigned since receiving first and second place in the May primary. Both come from small towns in the district and have active roles in their communities.
Sullivan grew up on a farm near Ord, Neb. She currently lives in Cedar Rapids, Neb. where she and her husband Mike have owned Cedar Rapids State Bank for the past 25 years. Sullivan told voters she has a good sense of the district with more than 30 years of community experience.
“People have been telling me to run for 20 years,” Sullivan said. “I’m a firm believer in public service and felt that this was the most appropriate time to run.”
Sullivan believes that high taxes and a declining population are the state’s most pressing issues. If elected, Sullivan said she would work to fill current job positions that are available in the state, especially in health care. She wants to let the world know about opportunities in rural Nebraska.
“That’s something I’ll work very hard on,” Sullivan said.
Ethanol is another important issue for the state. Nebraska has 24 ethanol plants, two of which are located in District 41. Sullivan said rural Nebraska is receiving direct benefits from ethanol, but added, “I don’t believe it’s an end-all for lessening our dependence on foreign oil.”
About 70 miles south of Cedar Rapids is Paul Eurek’s hometown of Loup City. He spent his first few years out of college teaching before working with the National Cash Register Company, or NCR. His work at NCR led him to co-start Compris, a technology company.
Eurek is now the chairman of the board of Xpanxion, another technology business he founded. The company is renovating Loup City’s Carnegie Library into an office space that will create jobs and a technology center for the community to use. With this business experience, Eurek said he is ready to serve in the legislature.
“I have experience knowing how to create new opportunities,” Eurek said during the campaign. “And I have the energy and passion to do something worthwhile.”
Like Sullivan, Eurek said high taxes are a big issue for the state. If elected, he wants to look at how the state spends taxpayer dollars.
“We need to ensure that our taxes are spent wisely,” Eurek said.
Eurek’s other goals included creating more opportunities in rural Nebraska, especially for young people. He also wants to ensure solid K-12 education and do so in a cost-efficient manner.
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In January, Clare will replace Regent Charles Wilson, who did not seek re-election for a fourth term.
Scudder said he was disappointed about his election but optimistic that the nation would move forward with the new president.
