Build relationships.
That's the first advice that a roomful of legislative candidates heard from a panel of mostly new state senators during an informal panel presentation at Open Sky Policy Institute's fall symposium.
The discussion was titled "What I wish I would have known as a candidate."
That translated into what you need to know if you are elected.
"Personalities matter," Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha said.
"Reach out to the other side" when you are building relationships with your colleagues, he said. Don't just stay within your comfort zone.
"You will never know enough," Sen. Wendy DeBoer of Bennington said, but you should immediately begin the learning process as you confront a galaxy of issues while also trying to understand how the process works.
People are also reading…
"It's like drinking out of the ocean through a straw," she said.
Sen. John Arch of LaVista described it all as "a very steep learning curve."
And read the rule book, Sen. Myron Dorn of Adams added.
Relationships, relationships, relationships, they all advised.
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If the Legislature proceeds with a bill to provide for election of all county election commissioners, shouldn't that office be on the non-partisan ballot?
Sen. Matt Hansen will introduce a bill following release of an opinion by Attorney General Doug Peterson that suggests the current system of appointing election commissioners in seven of the state's largest counties would, if challenged, be held unconstitutional by the Nebraska Supreme Court.
If they're going to be elected now, voters shouldn't be hunting for an R or a D on the ballot. Governance of elections needs to be non-partisan and removed from any party identification.
Why does it matter?
Election commissioners make lots of decisions that can impact the ease or convenience of voting. An election officer could make it easier or more difficult for certain sections of the population to vote by determining the number and location of voting precincts.
That's just one example, the first that comes to mind, of how a highly partisan election commissioner could, if he or she chose, impact the results of an election.
Sure, a commissioner elected on a non-partisan ballot might still be a party loyalist, but he or she should not be chosen with party affiliation or partisanship in mind.
Let's put some distance between election commissioner and political party.
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Finishing up:
* House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a huge get for Nebraska Democrats. By the time she arrives in Omaha for an Oct. 26 dinner event, Washington may be in an uproar.
* A startling moment while randomly glancing at a few of the nearly 3,000 names on the 9/11 Memorial a week ago: "Jennifer L. Howley and her unborn child." That's the woman who was born in Lincoln and whose name now adorns Lincoln Southeast High School's performing arts center. Howley, 34, was expecting her first child two months later; there were at least 11 unborn children killed at the World Trade Center that day.
* One of the real joys of NYC always is the dogs on leashes traversing the crowded sidewalks. All sizes, all kinds, somehow conditioned to the traffic on the street and the mass of pedestrians, sharing the big city.
* A couple of other things came to my mind during the Open Sky discussion with potential new members of the Legislature: 1) Always keep your word; 2) Follow former Sen. Kathy Campbell's advice and check your party jersey at the door.
* As Greta Thunberg and other young voices confront world leaders and argue for dramatic action in response to the reality of climate change, perhaps it is time now for grandparents to organize and begin to speak up on behalf of their grandchildren.
* Saturday night was a downer with a familiar figure on hand wearing red: In the midst of all the hype, Lucy and her football showed up once again.
* And now comes post-season baseball when every game matters.