Stubbe, Hunter advance in Papillion mayoral race to succeed retiring Black

Papillion City Council member Bob Stubbe and nonprofit executive Joe Hunter advanced in a six-candidate primary field in bids to succeed longtime Mayor David Black, who opted not to seek reelection after being in the position for more than 17 years. Stubbe and Hunter will face off in the Nov. 3 general election.

Stubbe, 72, who's set to retire from his current position as City of Omaha Public Works director in June after 21 years in the position, was the leading vote-getter as he secured more than 1,838 votes — nearly 41% of the 4,537 votes cast in the race — as of Wednesday.

Hunter edged past Papillion City Council member Becky Hoch to advance to the general election. Hunter received 1,272 votes — about 28% — while Hoch received 1,096 votes — about 24%.

Stubbe thanked Papillion voters for coming out strong for him.

"I think the voters obviously have confidence in what I have accomplished," Stubbe said, pointing to his 18-year tenure on the Papillion City Council and his half-century career in public service. "Papillion is in a great place. It's a community people want to live in, and I want to continue to serve the citizens of Papillion."

Hunter, 28, said he and his supporters are "energized and excited" about the results.

"This election has really been about what the future holds for the city," he said. "We're excited that we've sort of got a mandate moving forward to really have a conversation about what that looks like. It's up to the next generation of leaders to step up, say something and start really grabbing the reins in leading the town to its next new chapter."

Stubbe said, if elected in November, he would look to continue to advance Papillion's strong standing in offering "exceptional" public safety, quality-of-life amenities and economic security.

"It's my intent as mayor to continue to provide that location where people want to come and live," Stubbe said.

He said he would ensure Papillion retains its small-town feel while also fostering growth.

"Growth is beneficial, but growth has to be managed," Stubbe said. "With my engineering background and my operational background, I think I'm well-suited for being mayor of Papillion." 

Hunter said, if elected, he would advocate for cities like Papillion to have more of a voice in attracting economic development.

"By and large, the state of Nebraska controls economic development at the state level," Hunter said. "But it's really the cities that know best what their communities need. We need to be doing more advocacy at the state level to ensure that we have the tools to bring the right businesses into our communities to help grow our communities in meaningful ways to what the people want and not have it dictated by what's going on in Lincoln."

Hoch finished about 200 votes behind Hunter. Even though her campaign fell short, Hoch said she was proud of the "noninvasive" and nonpartisan race she ran. She noted that she ran as an independent,  while Stubbe and Hunter had backing from Sarpy County's Republican and Democratic Parties, respectively. The race is officially nonpartisan. 

"I ran the race that I wanted to run it. I ran clean," she said. "I didn't run ads. I wasn't in people's faces all the time. I think people are tired of that. They just want someone who will be a steady leader and who will guide the city. That's what I offered."

Hoch said she will continue to serve on the Papillion City Council. She was appointed to represent Ward 3 on the City Council after the previous council member moved out of the ward. Before her council appointment, Hoch served on the Papillion Planning Commission for 24 years.

Papillion Police Officer Brad Kustka, technological entrepreneur Kenneth Stopak and business owner Chase Stenger finished in fourth, fifth and sixth place, respectively. 

Full coverage: Nebraska's primary election was Tuesday. Here's how things shook out