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LINCOLN — State Sen. Mike Friend of Omaha will leave the Nebraska Legislature after being named to lead efforts at countering violent crime in Nebraska.
Gov. Dave Heineman Wednesday announced the 47-year-old lawmaker as the first director of the new State Office of Violence Prevention.
Friend will start Monday. His resignation as a state senator will be effective Sunday.
The office was created as part of an anti-crime package passed this year. Friend was the lead sponsor of the legislation.
At the time the legislation was signed, Heineman said, no one expected the “unique set of circumstances” that led him to choose the longtime Omaha resident for the new job.
But Friend was laid off this summer after 12 years of working as a copywriter and editor for First National Bank of Omaha.
“I thought, my gosh, here's a man with enormous talent who understands these issues, who understands the challenges in Omaha in particular,” the governor said.
Sen. Brad Ashford of Omaha, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, praised the selection.
“We have the strongest leader we could possibly find,” he said. “We are going to stop the shooting with Mike Friend running this thing.”
As director, Friend will work with law enforcement agencies and community groups across the state to develop multifaceted approaches to violence prevention. He will write grant proposals and work on assessing violence prevention programs in the state.
His salary will be $70,000.
“I care deeply about this issue,” Friend said. “I care deeply about gun violence and the problems that are going on in general in our communities.”
Although Friend has not worked in law enforcement or community organizing, he said he brings skills in communication, negotiation, business and analysis.
He also knows law enforcement through family and friends. Three uncles and three cousins have worked for the Omaha Police Department, including former Deputy Chief Joe Friend.
Mike Friend's previous jobs have included technical writing for First Data Resources and writing and editing jobs at newspapers and magazines.
He was elected to the Legislature in 2002 and 2006. He is chairman of the Urban Affairs Committee. He has about 16 months before term limits would have forced him out of office.
Heineman said he will accept applications from people interested in being appointed to replace Friend. He said he expects to name someone who is interested in running for the District 10 seat in 2010.
Two men — Jeff Miller and Larry Bradley — already have filed as candidates in the district, which is bounded roughly by Blondo Street, Interstate 680 and 72nd Street.
Last month, the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice announced $350,000 worth of grants for violence prevention. The money for the grants was included in the anti-crime package.
Five Omaha projects will split $290,000.
Contact the writer:
402-473-9583, martha.stoddard@owh.com
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