Heath Mello

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Heath Mello
Image of Heath Mello
Prior offices
Nebraska State Senate District 5

Education

Bachelor's

University of Nebraska, Lincoln

Contact

Personal website

Heath Mello (b. August 2, 1979) was a candidate for mayor of Omaha in Nebraska. Mello was defeated in the general election on May 9, 2017. Though Omaha's elections are nonpartisan, Mello identified as a Democrat in his filing for the 2017 election.

Mello is a former Democratic member of the Nebraska State Senate, representing District 5 from 2009 to 2017.[1] Mello served as a nonvoting member ex officio of the Executive Board. He did not seek re-election to the Nebraska State Senate in 2016 because he was term-limited.

Biography

Mello earned his B.A. in political science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2002. His professional experience includes working as a coordinator for the Metro Community College Foundation.[2] Prior to his election to the Nebraska Legislature, Mello worked as the senior aide to United States Senator Ben Nelson.

Committee assignments

2015 legislative session

At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Mello served on the following committees:

Nebraska committee assignments, 2015
• Appropriations, Chair
• Nebraska Retirement Systems

2013-2014

In the 2013-2014 legislative session, Mello served on the following committees:

2011-2012

In the 2011-2012 legislative session, Mello served on the following committees:

2009-2010

In the 2009-2010 legislative session, Mello served on the following committees:

Elections

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Omaha, Nebraska (2017)

Incumbent Jean Stothert defeated Heath Mello in the general election for mayor of Omaha.[3]

Mayor of Omaha, General Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Jean Stothert Incumbent 52.78% 52,509
Heath Mello 47.01% 46,761
Write-in votes 0.21% 209
Total Votes 99,479
Source: Douglas County Election Commission, "Official Results," accessed June 28, 2017

Incumbent Jean Stothert and Heath Mello defeated Taylor Royal, Ean Mikale, and Christopher Geary in the primary election for mayor of Omaha.[3]

Mayor of Omaha, Primary Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Jean Stothert Incumbent 43.71% 25,501
Green check mark transparent.png Heath Mello 41.40% 24,155
Taylor Royal 10.78% 6,289
Ean Mikale 3.05% 1,781
Christopher Geary 0.94% 547
Write-in votes 0.11% 67
Total Votes 58,340
Source: Douglas County Election Commission, "Official Results," accessed April 25, 2017

2016

See also: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2016

Elections for the Nebraska State Senate were held in 2016. The primary election took place on May 10, 2016. The general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was February 16, 2016, for incumbents. Challengers were required to file by March 1, 2016.[4] Incumbent Heath Mello did not seek re-election because of term-limits.

Mike McDonnell defeated Gilbert Ayala in the Nebraska State Senate District 5 general election.[5][6]

Nebraska State Senate, District 5 General Election, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Mike McDonnell 70.16% 7,120
Gilbert Ayala 29.84% 3,028
Total Votes 10,148
Source: Nebraska Secretary of State


Mike McDonnell and Gilbert Ayala were unopposed in the Nebraska State Senate District 5 primary.[7][8]

Nebraska State Senate, District 5 Primary, 2016
Candidate
Green check mark transparent.png Mike McDonnell
Green check mark transparent.png Gilbert Ayala

2012

See also: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2012

Mello won re-election in the 2012 election for Nebraska State Senate District 5. Mello was unopposed in the May 15 primary election and was unopposed in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[9][10]

2008

See also: Nebraska State Senate elections, 2008

On November 4, 2008, Mello won election to the 5th District Seat in the Nebraska Senate, defeating Rebecca Barrientos-Patlan.[11]

Nebraska State Senate, District 5 (2008)
Candidates Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Heath Mello 7,041
Rebecca Barrientos-Patlan 3,460

Campaign themes

2017

Mello's campaign website included the following themes:

“

Fighting Crime and Keeping us Safe
As Mayor, Heath will work everyday to make Omaha the safest place to live, work, and raise a family in America. His blueprint for Omaha’s future focuses on creating safer neighborhoods and reducing crime through strategic city partnerships with schools, afterschool programs, social service providers, and employers. In the Legislature, Heath’s leadership has already help reform our criminal justice system by making sure dangerous individuals face justice and preventing low-level offenders from becoming violent criminals.

Fixing Our Infrastructure
For Heath, providing everyone in Omaha with high-quality city services is his #1 priority. That’s why Heath has a plan to create an ‘infrastructure bank’ that will raise funds for much-needed maintenance and repair work for our streets, airport, riverfront, and parks. Heath will also prioritize the issues important in our day-to-day lives, like larger recycling containers, fixing potholes quickly and providing efficient snow removal in every Omaha neighborhood.

Creating the Good Jobs of Tomorrow
Heath has a plan to build a better future with more opportunity for Omahans by creating the jobs of tomorrow and retaining our existing good jobs. Heath will help Omaha’s startup and small businesses thrive while also working to make sure our region’s largest employers continue investing our city and don’t leave. Heath will work to make Omaha a magnet for talented workers and entrepreneurs, so our children and grandchildren don’t leave for Denver, Kansas City, or Chicago.

Working Together to Get Things Done
Heath has represented South Omaha and Midtown for the past eight years in the Nebraska Legislature, where he was elected by his Republican and Democratic colleagues to serve as Chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Heath brought people from both parties together to pass a balanced budget that cut taxes responsibly while investing in jobs and education. Heath will take the same approach to City Hall, bringing people together to get things done and make city government more innovative, transparent, and accountable.

Heath’s Plan to Reinvent City Hall through Transparency, Innovation, and Civic Engagement
Our daily lives are deeply affected by City Hall. The Mayor, City Council, and city employees regularly make decisions about the streets we drive on, the recycling we expect to be picked up, the public safety we count on in an emergency, and even how employment opportunities will be developed. We pay taxes to receive these services; in exchange, we expect quality and efficiency.

That’s why Heath’s first priority as Mayor is to open up City Hall so that all Omaha residents have better access to information about core city functions. Heath believes that when government operates with transparency, accountability naturally follows. If you, a resident of Omaha, can’t find the city’s plans to fix your street, then how will you know whether repairs happen on time and on budget, or if they are even on the agenda? A city’s commitment to transparency assures residents that progress is happening – and provides space for feedback if momentum stalls.[12][13]

”
—Heath Mello (2017)

Campaign finance summary

Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

Heath Mello campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2012Nebraska State Senate, District 5Won $217,604 N/A**
2008Nebraska State Senate, District 5Won $75,233 N/A**
Grand total$292,837 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Nebraska

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states.  To contribute to the list of Nebraska scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.






2020

In 2020, the Nebraska State Legislature was in session from January 8 to August 13.

Legislators are scored on children's issues.
Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.


2019


2018


2017


2016


2015


2014


2013


2012


2011

Endorsements

2017

Mello received the following endorsements:

See also

Omaha, Nebraska Nebraska Municipal government Other local coverage
City of Omaha NE Seal.jpg
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Municipal Government Final.png
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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Note: Although the Nebraska State Senate elects its members in nonpartisan elections, members of the chamber generally function along party lines when it comes to voting and caucusing. Please see Nebraska State Senate partisan affiliation for more information.
  2. ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "Biography," accessed August 29, 2013
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Douglas County Election Commission, "Candidate Information," accessed February 28, 2017
  4. ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Official Election Calendar," accessed December 7, 2015
  5. ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Statewide Candidate List for general election," accessed August 19, 2016
  6. ↑ Nebraska Secetary of State, "General election results, 2016," accessed December 21, 2016
  7. ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Statewide Candidate List," accessed May 16, 2016
  8. ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Primary Election May 10, 2016," accessed October 14, 2016
  9. ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Statewide Candidate List," accessed February 14, 2014
  10. ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "Unofficial 2012 Primary Results," accessed April 10, 2014
  11. ↑ Nebraska Secretary of State, "2008 General Election Results," accessed April 10, 2014
  12. ↑ Heath Mello for Mayor, "Issues," accessed March 6, 2017
  13. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  14. ↑ Nebraska Legislature, "2014 Legislative Session," accessed June 27, 2014
  15. ↑ Omaha World-Herald, "Firefighters union endorses Democrat Heath Mello in Omaha mayoral contest," March 7, 2017
  16. ↑ Omaha World-Herald, "Top cop in Douglas County blocks Mayor Stothert's phone calls, backs Mello," March 3, 2017
  17. ↑ Omaha World-Herald, "Omaha teachers union endorses Heath Mello in mayoral election," February 28, 2017
  18. ↑ Omaha World-Herald, "Brad Ashford endorses Heath Mello in Omaha mayoral race," December 20, 2016
Political offices
Preceded by
Don Preister 		Nebraska State Senate District 5
2009–2017 		Succeeded by
Mike McDonnell


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