The election for Bellevue mayor will pit political newcomer Rita Sanders against a man with a well-known name -- Steve Exon, a former Omaha city councilman and son of the late governor and U.S. senator, J.J. Exon.
In Tuesday’s primary, former Bellevue Mayor Jerry Ryan lost his bid to return to City Hall.
Sanders, 51, said though she is pleased with the results, “there’s still a lot to be done” before the Nov. 2 general election.
“I’ve got to keep my eye on the ball,” she said. “We have to keep moving forward.”
Sanders, who brings a strong business background to the race, said she would operate the city like a business.
She and her husband, Rick, own and run the Richmont Village retirement community and developed Richmont Pointe shopping strip, which revitalized a corner of Fort Crook Road.
“I still stand on transparency and accountability,” she said. “I plan to run the city as a business in which the citizens are really the customers.”
Exon, 63, said he was excited to take the “first step forward” and planned to hit the streets even harder.
“We are going to double our efforts,” he said Tuesday night. “There’s no question in my mind that we are going to be successful in November.”
Exon, who works as regional sales manager for Pain Enterprises Inc., said economic development remains his priority.
He wants to continue developing Bellevue’s riverfront, and he cited the future Missouri River bridge between Bellevue and Plattsmouth as an important development opportunity. Exon said the area has the potential to lure a new shopping center.
Of the five candidates, Exon and Sanders expected to spend the most money on the primary, up to $15,000 each.
In Papillion, Mayor David Black easily outpaced two challengers and will face Terry Brennan in the fall election.
Contact the writer:
444-1336, leia.mendoza@owh.com
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