 In his letter, Wilmert said he would officially leave office on Jan.
15, 2014.He said that during his tenure in office, his personal
life has taken some significant turns, and he feels that he needs to
devote more time to his young family.
He expressed that he would continue to be a resource when needed,
but he felt that he should not continue as a member of the city
governance.
Wilmert was first elected as a Ward 2 alderman in 2009. He ran
against and defeated incumbent Verl Prather and was sworn into
office in May of that year.
In September that year, he married Cari Keysear of Lincoln, and
in June of 2011, Cari gave birth to their son, Cameron Tiberius
Wilmert.
In his years of service to the city, Wilmert has been active in
several public functions, including groundbreaking ceremonies for
Habitat homes in his ward; participation in the annual Fourth of
July children's parade with his wife and son; and he was on hand in
July of 2009 to welcome home a local soldier returning from
Afghanistan.
Wilmert was appointed to the sanitation committee at his
swearing-in, and he worked with the Logan County Joint Solid Waste
Agency throughout his tenure.
Along with former Ward 1 Alderwoman Stacy Bacon, Wilmert worked
several months to develop and implement a parking ordinance in the
city of Lincoln that would allow the parking of trailers on personal
property in residential areas. At last action on that matter, the
proposed ordinance came to a vote in March but failed to pass.
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Wilmert's resume as alderman also included working with Alderman
Tom O'Donohue and the city clerk, Susan Gehlbach, to update and
upgrade city hardware and software, and he worked with Chief Ken
Greenslate of the police department to get donated laptops up and
running for city aldermen and department heads.
Wilmert served on a committee with Snyder and O'Donohue to
conduct a search for a city administrator and was also a member of
the intergovernmental committee with city and county officials that
led to the selection of a consultant for electric aggregation.
He also expressed opposition to implementing a utility tax in
2013, saying his constituents did not want the tax, and he could not
in good conscience go against their wishes.
Wilmert often spoke out on issues that involved adding more
restrictions on Lincoln residents. He many times said that he
believed there could be too much governance and that the city should
be careful not to make too many rules about how people had to live
their lives in the city.
Tuesday evening, Snyder expressed his appreciation for the years
Wilmert has served and the work he has done for the city of Lincoln.
Snyder finished by saying: "We are glad that you will be here for
a little bit. We will miss you and your service to the city. We hope
that down the road, perhaps there will be opportunities for further
service to the city." Snyder also drew a laugh from all the aldermen
when he quipped, "We'll roast you later."
[By NILA SMITH] |
