Disgusted by how the Lincoln City Council handled confirmation of a public health director last month, Benjamin Madsen plans to run for his own seat on the council.
The general manager of Madsen's Bowling & Billiards first was in the news Aug. 1 when he defied the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department's closure order because the north Lincoln business let customers flout the city's mask mandate.Â
His decision to put himself forward as a candidate for City Council came after reflecting on the council's move to suspend its rules and appoint Pat Lopez as the permanent health department director Aug. 17. The appointment also required approval by the Lancaster County Board and the Board of Health.
Madsen and about a dozen others opposed her appointment, how the health department had operated during the pandemic and the council decision to rush her appointment through. When the council unanimously agreed to confirm Lopez, Madsen saw council members who didn't take the time to listen to their constituents, he said. Â
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"I didn’t think what they did was right," he said in an interview Tuesday. "I just can’t sit back and let them roll over the top of us."
A 43-year-old registered Republican, Madsen has spent the last 10 years running the operations at his family's business.Â
Born in Lincoln, Madsen graduated from Waverly High School and attended Nebraska Wesleyan University.Â
He is the second candidate to declare for one of the three at-large council seats on the ballot next spring.
At-large council members Bennie Shobe, Roy Christensen and Sändra Washington are all expected to run next spring.
Madsen has never run for elected office.Â
Last week, he announced his intentions to a crowd of supporters gathered at Madsen's.
He said Tuesday that he plans a more formal announcement of his candidacy at a later date.Â
Madsen believes council members have been out of touch with how their policy decisions affect people, he said.Â
He would bring a blue-collar worker's approach to the job and seek to lean on his management experience to find the best solutions for everyone involved, he said.Â
"I would like to be that voice of change for the people inside the city limits," Madsen said.