Lieutenant governor driven to serve

LINCOLN — Rick Sheehy can walk down most streets in Nebraska without attracting a glance, though he is a heartbeat away from the governorship.

Sheehy may be the state’s lieutenant governor, but few people could pick him out of a lineup of politicians.

Sheehy, 50, has one of the lowest political profiles among statewide officeholders. He was once dubbed “Nebraska’s most powerful invisible man” at a Gridiron Club show in Lincoln.

Still, he is a man to watch.

Sheehy is starting to attract the attention of political observers as he crisscrosses the state, attending countless political dinners, Rotary luncheons and even small youth leadership gatherings.

He puts more than 65,000 miles a year on his Nissan Altima, often meeting with small-town local leaders.

His travels and connections put him in a good position to run for higher office, including the U.S. Senate in 2012 or governor in 2014, several Republicans and Democrats said.

Sheehy’s name is now part of the mix of Republicans who are expected to seek higher office, including Attorney General Jon Bruning, State Auditor Mike Foley and Speaker of the Legislature Mike Flood.

“He has a (job) that, by its very nature, puts him in a good position,” said J.L. Spray, a Republican lawyer from Lincoln who has long been active in party politics.

Sheehy also gets high marks from his boss, Gov. Dave Heineman.

The governor said Sheehy has been an important part of his team, helping to promote economic development and moving the state forward via technology.

Heineman often sends Sheehy on trade missions or asks him to talk to business executives interested in locating or expanding in Nebraska.

Sheehy also serves as chairman of the Nebraska Information Technology Commission, a nine-member board that promotes the use of technology in education, health care and all levels of government.

“He has a bright political future. He’ll obviously have to make a decision at some point, what he has to do. And he understands that he has to earn it,” Heineman said.

Many people compare Sheehy’s low-key style and brutal travel schedule to another GOP politician: U.S. Sen. Mike Johanns, who spent two years traveling to all 93 counties before he was elected governor in 1998.

“Part of the job of being lieutenant governor is to speak to organizations and groups across the state, and that affords him the opportunity to gain name recognition among voters,” former Lt. Gov. Kim Robak, a Democrat, said of Sheehy. “He has a built-in opportunity to run for governor.”

Sheehy often goes to events the governor cannot attend.

“He allows the two of us to cover more ground. He’s in small- and medium-size communities all over the state, working behind the scenes on many projects,” Heineman said.

One day recently, Sheehy presided over a Lincoln conference held to discuss ways to protect Nebraska’s infrastructure from terrorist attacks or disasters.

After the morning meeting, he hopped in his car and drove to Omaha to speak to a youth leadership group for a half-hour.

It was then back to Lincoln for a 3 p.m. meeting at the State Capitol and a 5 p.m. open house at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Business Administration.

He typically drives himself.

“Most of the time, when I’m traveling through the state, I can make multiple stops in a day,” said Sheehy, who listens to a lot of talk radio and news shows.

Sheehy, father of two college students who attend school in Omaha, still has his boyish good looks and an aw-shucks personality. He comes across as thoughtful and amiable. When asked a question, he takes his time formulating a response.

Sheehy got his break in statewide politics in 2005, when soon-to-be-governor Heineman called on a Sunday afternoon. Sheehy was painting his dining room ceiling when Heineman asked if he would consider being his lieutenant governor.

The two had met years earlier, when Heineman served on the Fremont City Council and Sheehy was on the Hastings City Council.

Sheehy had been considering a run for Congress in the 3rd District, but when offered the lieutenant governor’s job, he jumped.

“I took the risk and entered into something I didn’t think I’d do. And it’s worked out,” he said.

Sheehy won’t close the door on running for governor in 2014 or in any other election. For now, he said, his job is to help Heineman get re-elected next year.

Heineman is barred from running again in 2014, meaning it will be an open seat that will assuredly attract numerous candidates.

After next year’s election, Sheehy said, he will consider his future.

He made it clear to the youth leadership gathering in Omaha that he believes he has the goods to be governor.

“I’ve really enjoyed the executive branch of our government,” Sheehy told the teenagers. “And I believe, with my background, I have the ability to contribute.”

He is a former paramedic who worked for more than two decades for the Rural Metro Ambulance Service in Hastings.

After serving two terms on the Hastings City Council, Sheehy won two mayoral elections before he was tapped by Heineman to be his No. 2 guy.

Sheehy originally was a Democrat. He said he switched parties in about 2002. He said he came to realize that his values were more in line with the Republican Party’s, including the party’s emphasis on free enterprise.

Although he typically spends two or three days a week in Lincoln, Sheehy and his wife, Connie, continue to keep their primary residence in Hastings. When he spends a night in Lincoln, Sheehy stays in his in-laws’ basement.

Besides his public appearances, Sheehy has formal duties in state government.

He presides over the Legislature when it is in session and is director of homeland security in Nebraska, working with state and federal officials to protect against terrorist attacks and prepare for natural disasters.

Sheehy said he also frequently attends meetings with Heineman and his staff members, talking over issues and policies.

He said Heineman has made it clear that he wants his lieutenant governor prepared to be governor at a moment’s notice.

“I have to think and act like a governor every day,” Sheehy said.

Contact the writer:

444-1309, robynn.tysver@owh.com