Omaha By Design: Omaha, Only Better

by Ken Mayer

My grandfathers were always very generous with me. One could be depended upon for a great loud belly laugh at my stupid kid jokes, and one was always ready with the coin of the realm in compensation for the slightest bit of help.

It’s been speculated that the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren is because they share a common enemy, the parents, but my grandfathers never really encouraged bad behavior that would undermine mom and dad. It would appear that the Omaha City Council doesn’t see grandfathering in the same way.

It certainly makes sense, when new ordinances are put in place, to give those affected time to adjust if they find themselves in violation. But about a quarter of the city’s billboards still do not comply with rules that went into effect over 20 years ago in 1987.

That’s some grandfather.

The rationale was balancing enforcement with the rights of companies to do business. It seems that our elected officials don’t want to appear to be anti-business in any way, shape, form or for any amount of time. Last month’s Omaha City Council meeting included one official seeming to ask neighborhood associations why they weren’t reinforcing the free enterprise system.

Sometimes I think we were permanently scarred by the departure of Enron more than 20 years ago. Maybe we ought to dial it back a bit. Much as it pains me to write this, all businesses are not good businesses. Especially lately. Imagine the financial bomb that would have gone off in this community had Enron built its house of cards here rather than in Houston.

Good business people understand they have an obligation to the community. Good business people don’t engage in practices that your grandpa would call a bunch of damn foolishness.

Cities and neighborhoods have long exercised the right to pursue the businesses they want, just as our Chamber of Commerce does with its Target Advisory Groups focused on attracting and growing insurance, bioscience, international and information technology companies.

Likewise, local governments have also reserved the right to say no to some businesses or business practices such as we have done in Omaha with casino gambling or retailers who would plop big boxes down on a sea of asphalt wherever they please.

It’s not about being for or against free enterprise, it’s about smart progress. Truly knowledgeable leaders understand that something for everybody is a fool’s errand. It’s a wasteful, time consuming strategy, that, in the end, leaves everyone wondering what your business or city stands for.

Truly knowledgeable neighborhood and civic leaders know that sometimes a vacant storefront is better than an irresponsible or incompatible business operation.

Maybe it’s time we started expecting our elected officials to be a bit more discriminating about these matters.

Omaha by Design, among others, has worked long and hard to put in place some smart rules about progress in the city and I think some of these recent developments may set some dangerous precedents. It’s not just that we have ordinances on the books – compliance and execution are a big part of making any plan work.

So, as election time rolls around, I’m going to be seeking some candidates that look less like grandpa and more like intelligent leaders who understand that rules, boundaries and limitations are meaningless if they aren’t enforced, and now.