Roy Christensen will seek re-election to the Lincoln city council this year. Christensen says the community has to position itself for a post-pandemic world by prioritizing public safety, economic development and investments in infrastructure while holding down the tax burden.
“Lincoln’s quality of life is second to none,” said Christensen. “But the reality is the disruption caused by the pandemic hit our community unevenly. Some have lost their businesses, others have lost jobs or childcare, and sadly some have succumbed to Covid-19. It’s with a sense of urgency that I ask Lincoln voters to return me to the council to continue working for them.
In a statement, Christensen says he worked to secure funding for six additional police officers in 2013 – his first year on the council. In 2020, he continued that fight by pressing for the city to accept a federal grant to add more officers.
“My first priority is to continue leading the effort to reduce city property taxes and hold the line on city spending. To do this we must set priorities and at the top of the list is public safety, economic development and public infrastructure.
“Lincoln must increase the size of our police force and improve the officer retention rate, grow the public-private partnerships encouraging job creation including for start-up entrepreneurs, new business recruitment and existing business retention, and address affordable housing needs.”
The statement goes on by saying, housing development and affordability are important economic drivers. City government must work with developers to ensure building codes, fees and approvals don’t needlessly increase costs that inevitably are passed on to homebuyers and renters.
“With Lincoln’s population approaching 300,000 people spread across nearly 100 square miles, plus the number of special events hosted by the city, adding more police while working to retain our current police force, and providing them with adequate equipment and funding must be a priority.”
Christensen sees the potential for two big public infrastructure projects on the horizon both of which will require public input and a cost-benefit analysis of alternatives. One would address Lincoln’s looming water shortage by accessing water from the Missouri River. The second would focus on water detention, retention, and diversion on all tributaries of Salt Creek, which would reduce the risk of future flooding for existing homes and future development.
He owns Christensen Hearing Analytics and is a veteran having served in the U.S. Army. Roy Christensen and his wife Ramiel have seven children and 13 grandchildren.