Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird formally announced Monday she plans to seek reelection to a second term, saying she will continue to prioritize public safety, economic recovery, affordable housing and climate resiliency.
“I really care about Lincoln,†she said in an interview. “It’s where my husband and I are raising our children. This is our home and making it the best possible home for everyone ... that’s been my focus for a decade.â€
Gaylor Baird, 51, a Democrat, had been a community volunteer before being appointed to the Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Commission. She was elected twice to the City Council beginning in 2011, and ran for mayor after Republicans launched a successful term limits city charter initiative that kept Chris Beutler from running for a fourth term.
Her victory in 2019 continued a 20-year streak of Democratic mayors. As of this point, she faces two Republican opponents in next spring’s election: state Sen. Suzanne Geist and Stan Parker, a former Husker football player who runs a nonprofit Christian ministry.
The primary is April 4. The top two vote-getters regardless of party will advance to the May 2 general election.
Public safety will continue to be Gaylor Baird’s priority if she is reelected, and she said that commitment the last four years is evident in 31 additional Lincoln police officers and support staff, 28 firefighters and support staff and a labor contract making LPD officers the highest-paid in the state.
Her administration also has invested in fire and police equipment, as well as a new police substation and fire stations, she said.
Other infrastructure priorities have included streets, she said, and her administration has invested $167 million in new streets and improvements to existing roadways.
During her tenure, the City Council approved two big city initiatives: the Climate Action Plan and the Affordable Housing Coordinated Action Plan.
Among the goals of the housing plan was creating 5,000 affordable housing units by 2030, and in less than two years her administration has helped create 1,200 new or rehabbed units, she said.
She touted her administration’s efforts to build a StarTran transfer station, which resulted in a $23.6 million federal grant. The transfer station will help the city move toward its Climate Action Plan goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by a net 80% by 2050 and to convert the city’s vehicle fleet to 100% electric or alternative fuel vehicles by 2040, she said.
Economic recovery from the pandemic is also a priority, Gaylor Baird said, and her administration has focused historical amounts of federal aid on workforce development and providing housing and utilities assistance to citizens.
Much of her administration was marked by a global pandemic, which hit nine months after she was elected and required helping the city navigate unprecedented challenges — and controversies.
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Among them: A controversial mask mandate from the Health Department director that led to a failed recall effort of the mayor and four City Council members.
There is no greater challenge, Gaylor Baird said, than guiding a community through the uncertainty of such an event, and making sure people had the information they needed to make sound decisions.
“I’m so proud to live in this city and to serve this community, which really rose to that occasion,†she said. “The sense of purpose and sense of pride in my community during that time is part of the reason I want to continue my service.â€
Her administration has weathered other controversies, including the City Council’s passage of the so-called Fairness Ordinance that extended protections to include sexual orientation and gender expression, followed by a narrow decision to rescind it.
She said she’s committed to finding a way for the city to be inclusive to everyone, which is vital from both a moral as well as economic perspective.
The city also is defending a number of lawsuits filed by current and former police officers, who allege sexual harassment and workplace discrimination, which has continued after Gaylor Baird hired Teresa Ewins as police chief.
Gaylor Baird said she’s committed to making sure LPD is a safe and fair workplace for everyone and she said she’s pleased with some of the changes, including better policies and processes and implementing recommendations from an independent assessment.
In the coming four years, she said, the city will have to decide how to proceed when a quarter-cent sales tax that has bolstered street repairs ends.
The city also is weighing whether to build a new central library, which would certainly require a bond issue, and work is underway to find a second water source for the city.
Gaylor Baird said she’s also excited about seeing through “catalyst projects,†including the recently announced softball and baseball complex that will be built near First Street and Cornhusker Highway, a downtown music district and a new park in the West Haymarket.
A child of public school teachers raised in Oregon, Gaylor Baird studied at Yale, worked at a Fortune 500 management company, earned a master's degree from Oxford University, then worked as a budget analyst for the city of San Francisco.
Her family moved to Lincoln in 2002. She and her husband Scott Baird have three children.