HOLDREGE— Three of Nebraska’s top four GOP candidates for governor visited this agricultural hub Monday to debate taxes, water, broadband and more.
State Sen. Brett Lindstrom, former Sen. Theresa Thibodeau and Conklin Co. CEO Charles Herbster debated questions for an hour from reporters based in Kearney, Lexington and Axtell. University of Nebraska Regent Jim Pillen held a telephone town hall during Monday’s debate, the last before the May 10 primary election. Pillen has avoided debates with his fellow candidates. Instead, he attended candidate forums.
About 200 people attended the Holdrege debate, hosted by NTV News at the Phelps County Agricultural Center. Each candidate spent significant time talking about plans to address property taxes.
Lindstrom got specific about state aid for schools, saying he wants to make sure every K-12 school district in Nebraska gets equalization aid. Right now, he said, 157 districts don’t. His idea to change that: Work with the Legislature to redirect a portion of existing sales tax dollars over several years toward a goal of reducing property taxes by 20%.
Thibodeau said she wants to audit and cut spending on ineffective state programs and services so that every child in Nebraska can get the same amount of state aid to schools.
“If we grew food as much as we grow government, heck, nobody would ever go hungry,” Thibodeau said.
Herbster said he wants to rebuild Nebraska’s tax system from the bottom up, hoping to model what South Dakota does, with no income tax, or what Iowa does with a blended approach.
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