Release: Candidate for City Council Gene Carroll Prioritizes Roads

Calls for City to Invest Stimulus Money in Resurfacing and New Roads

LINCOLN, Neb. - Gene Carroll, candidate for one of the three at-large City Council positions today said that if elected he would work hard to make sure the approximately $9 million in federal stimulus money for the city to use on roads was spent on shovel ready projects within the city to create jobs and relieve traffic congestion.

"This federal money provides us with a great opportunity to resurface and expand roads in Lincoln, relieve traffic congestion, create new jobs, enhance old neighborhoods and expand to new ones," said Carroll. Earlier this year Mayor Beutler provided the federal government with a list of shovel ready roads projects that will create jobs, provide much needed resurfacing and expansion into new growth areas of town.

"As the Chair of the Planning Commission I know there is much needed work to be done to many of our arterial streets from all parts of town – widening of "O", resurfacing of A, Sheridan, Holdrege and Van Dorn. We need this money used to resurface and expand these roads and most importantly to get our economy moving again," said Carroll.

Carroll said any talk of setting aside the money for the South Beltway was misleading and irresponsible. "While I support the State of Nebraska prioritizing the South Beltway I'm concerned that there has been some discussion by City Council members that this stimulus money should be set aside for the South Beltway. That talk is irresponsible and misleading. The South Beltway is an over $120 million project that is still in the early planning stage” said Carroll.

"We need to spend this federal stimulus money now to create good jobs with good wages and benefits, on projects that resurface and relieve traffic congestion on arterial roads that Lincolnites use every day," said Carroll.

Gene Carroll is the current Chairman of the City of Lincoln and Lancaster County Planning Commission and Chairman of the City of Lincoln Board of Zoning Appeals and has a Masters Degree in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln College of Architecture. Gene has an extensive background in real estate and land development and currently works as a Site Acquisition Manager for Viaero Wireless.