Midlands Voices: Two crucial public-private collaborations have boosted Omaha for 25 years

Public private partnerships (PPPs) were the solution. The Metropolitan Entertainment and Convention Authority was formed to address the needs of downtown and Project Harmony was established to grapple with child abuse. Though very different needs, the structure of a PPP was right for both.

Common to both partnerships was community need that conventional methods hadn’t handled. New leadership, including philanthropists, with a vision and a willingness to break down silos to collaborate was required.

An Omaha World-Herald article commemorating the 25th anniversary of Project Harmony recalled a time when the conventional approach to child abuse investigations was law enforcement-centered. As then-police Lt. Jim Skinner (later Chief) noted, that didn’t serve the children. He saw that victims of abuse were abused twice, first by the perpetrator and then by an investigatory process that traumatized abuse victims by mixing them with people charged with a crime.

Skinner, along with then-County Attorney Jim Jansen, worked with the community to start Project Harmony. Gene Klein has served as executive director of Project Harmony for 20 years and has led expansion of its services to include area law enforcement as well as county, state, federal agencies and nonprofits working to treat victims and to prevent child abuse before it happens. With the need now greater than ever, training is provided to OPS staff to recognize child abuse and mental health issues.

As Klein stated, “When you get city, county, state and federal government working together and then you add in the school systems, it’s remarkable to see the level of collaboration that does come together on a government level.”

This collaboration has saved lives and significantly increased community awareness of child abuse. Project Harmony serves as a model for other collaborations serving families and children, reflecting the power of PPPs to address societal needs.

Beginning in the 1970s, Omaha began losing its urban core as a vibrant community resource, resulting in a loss of jobs and deterioration of infrastructure. Omaha was stuck with older event facilities like the Civic Auditorium and Rosenblatt Stadium. The city simply didn’t have the resources to build new facilities and community leaders were reticent to invest the money needed.

Why is a vibrant downtown important anyway?

In 1996, the City and the philanthropic community formed a partnership which was to become MECA. Philanthropy donated $75 million and the citizens approved a bond issue sufficient to build the arena and convention center. The Nebraska Legislature passed legislation to allow the city to apply a portion of new state tax revenue generated by the facilities to the cost of the project (a turnback tax).

Roger Dixon was hired to manage the facilities and after 20 years remains in his position. Similar to Gene Klein at Project Harmony, sustained leadership is a catalyst for success. Over the past 25 years downtown Omaha has experienced a miraculous rebirth. New ideas for public and private investment emerge daily. Downtown Omaha is now a tourist destination with thousands of new housing options, retail, restaurants and corporate investment in new construction. Omaha’s vision to return to the river is fast becoming a reality with a new downtown park.

Though addressing very different needs, MECA and Project Harmony exist because the community had a vision for change, and the PPPs formed to address those needs listened to citizens, attracted philanthropic support, retained sustainable leadership, and included the active involvement of both the public and private sectors. Our future as a community is bright as we tackle those tough seemingly insoluble issues that cry out for collaborative solutions.

Brad Ashford is a former U.S. congressman and a Nebraska state senator. He is a visiting professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. This piece reflects the views of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of UNO.