Hal Daub 5.11.01

With the race for Omaha mayor heating up here in the final days, I have to say I am a little torn over the prospect that Hal Daub might be leaving the office of mayor. He sure has been good for Omaha hasn't he? Pundits might debate that, but one this is for sure: He loves that city like a mother loves its child and all he wants in return is some validation. He named his dog after you Omaha, the least you can do is reelect him.
Hal Daub is to Omaha what Albert Speer was to German productivity. It's just too bad he has had such a bad opinion of his neighbors in Council Bluffs.
CB had enough self-esteem issues before Hal Daub. It was bad enough when we had to put up with "blue plate special" jokes from Joe Six-Pack Cornhusker, but to have that kind of disdain validated by a guy in a suit was unconscionable.
Let's review.
Who can forget the Sin City comment? As if having a dirty bookstore and a couple of go-go clubs constitutes an X-rating. Apparently Mr. Daub never noticed the strip clubs on his own side of the river. Maybe Omaha go-go bars are the G-rated kind.
It is true that Nebraska does not have any adult bookstores, but that does not mean our neighbors do not have a taste for the product. Anyone who has cruised through the parking lot of the Adult Emporium parking lot would see quite a few Nebraska license plates.
Who doesn't think back fondly on the proposed wheel tax? That was the one where Hal wanted hard-working Iowans who keep Omaha's economy rolling along to pay for the privilege. This idea had no one behind it, especially if they owned a business and counted on Iowans to get the job done. Was that not the kind of thing the South African government did during Apartheid?
Remember when high-powered bullets from the Omaha Police Department firing range were making their way through houses in Council Bluffs? Remember the heartfelt apology? Me neither come to think of it.
Remember when the city of Omaha put up construction signs blocking access across the river from Douglas St.? The feds had to come in and tell the city of Omaha they couldn't cut off access to the interstate when they were so clearly not doing any kind of construction. That was sophisticated. It was probably just a coincidence this happened the same time the casinos opened.
Daub has been tough on crime like Batman. I'm surprised he didn't have a Hal signal installed on top of Woodman. His approach to crime was a little linear and according to critics he let Omahas neighborhoods fall to the wayside. That is debatable as most political charges are, but addressing symptoms of a problem is easier than fixing the problem itself. You can fight crime, you can't fight economic instability and a crumbling infrastructure - it just isn't as dramatic.
Many in Council Bluffs have been offended by his comments over the years so why should we be torn over his departure? Because nothing got Council Bluffs on the warpath like having Hal Daub taking potshots at us from his side of the Missouri.
When our own Mayor Tom Hanafan got into with Daub, I was so proud I could pop. Mayor Hanafan earned my vote for life at that time and when I see him walking down the street or kicking back at Pizza King, I say hi, but I fight the urge to shout "give 'em hell, Tom!"
Nothing gave Iowans as much satisfaction as listening to Hal Daub criticize our casinos while watching Nebraskans roll into Harvey's, Ameristar and Bluffs Run to lay down the rent money for the off-chance of a big score. Nebraskans and other tourists were flooding across the river like the cure for cancer was over here and they still are.
The only thing sweeter was watching the state of Nebraska consider and refuse to open up gambling in Nebraska.
Council Bluffs is a great town, casinos, strip clubs, bookstores and all. We work hard and we play hard. We keep pretty low profiles as a people. We are by nature humble. At the end of the day, when we come home to relax and find our neighbor attacking us in the Omaha-based television news, it begs the question: "What did we do to deserve such attacks?"
An answer will not likely show itself and perhaps we should merely accept that when people are insecure, they look for someone to kick. That's fine, we can take it.
Because if we learned anything from the Cold War, it is that nothing motivates you to achieve like having an enemy that hates you. While most in Council Bluffs don't think of Omaha as an enemy, Hal Daub has made it clear during his tenure he thinks of us as one.
So no offense to Mr. Fahey, he might well be the better choice for Omaha, but Hal Daub and his cutting remarks are better for Council Bluffs.