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Roy Baker (politician)

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Roy Baker
Member of the Nebraska Legislature
from the 30th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
2015
Preceded byNorm Wallman
Personal details
Born1945 (age 78–79)
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceLincoln, Nebraska
OccupationConsultant, retired
superintendent of schools

Roy Baker (born 1945) is a politician from the state of Nebraska in the Midwestern United States. In 2014, he was elected to the Nebraska Legislature, representing a district in the southeastern part of the state. Baker is a member of the Republican Party.

Personal life and professional career

Baker was born in 1945 in York, Nebraska. He graduated from high school in Benedict in 1963. He attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, receiving a B.S. in education in 1967, an M.Ed. in 1970, and an Ed.D. in 1977.[1][2]

In 1968, Baker married Paula L. Vineyard; the couple eventually produced two children.[1]

Baker worked as a teacher and a coach in Central City from 1968 to 1970. From 1970 to 1972, he taught, coached, and served as principal in Marquette. In 1972, he returned to his hometown of Benedict; there, he served as principal from 1972 to 1974, and then as superintendent of schools from 1974 to 1977.[2][3]

In 1977, he moved to Arlington, where he served as superintendent of schools for eleven years. He moved to Harlan, Iowa in 1988, and held the position of superintendent of Harlan Community School District for nine years. In 1997, he returned to Nebraska to take up the post of superintendent at Norris School District 160, which covers portions of southern Lancaster County, northern Gage County, and western Otoe County.[2][3][4]

In May 2004, a large tornado destroyed the village of Hallam and then struck the Norris campus, causing $35 million in damage to the school.[5][6] Baker took charge of reconstruction efforts, declaring "In an extreme crisis such as this, authoritarian leadership is not only OK, it is most appropriate."[7] By expediting contracting and construction, and through the use of portable classrooms, the school was able to re-open for the fall semester shortly after Labor Day. For his efforts, Baker was named Superintendent of the Year by the Nebraska Council of School Administrators.[6][7][8]

Baker remained at Norris until 2010, when he retired.[9] In that year, he co-founded Baker & Rastovski School Services, a consulting firm assisting schools in Nebraska to find, hire, and train administrators.[10] In October 2012, following the death of the superintendent of Beatrice Public Schools, he was hired as interim superintendent for the remainder of the 2012–2013 school year.[11]

Political career

2014 election

In September 2013, Baker announced that he would run for the Nebraska Legislature from District 30. The district, consisting of Gage County and part of southern Lancaster County, included the cities of Beatrice and Wymore, and portions of southern and western Lincoln. Incumbent Norm Wallman, a member of the Democratic Party, was barred by Nebraska's term-limits law from running for a third consecutive term.[12][13][14][15][16]

A second candidate, like Baker a Republican,[15] joined the race in February 2014. Bob Tiemann, the owner of a Beatrice construction firm,[17] had sought the District 30 seat twice before. In 1982,[18] he had come in last in a three-way primary, with 16.6% of the vote;[19] in the 2010 primary election, he had again placed third of three, this time with 26.2% of the vote.[20]

In the nonpartisan primary election, Tiemann received 3720 of the 7167 votes cast, or 51.9% of the total. Baker obtained 3447 votes, or 48.1%.[21]

2014 general election

Since only two candidates had run in the primary, both moved on to the general election. Baker declared "I don't breathe partisan fire",[22] and stated that the Nebraska legislature was "officially nonpartisan, and I think it ought to stay that way".[15] Tiemann stated that the district needed to elect a businessman who knew how to budget, and that a Gage County resident would better represent the district; Baker asserted that he had learned to manage on a limited budget as a school superintendent, and that he would be one of the few legislators who understood Nebraska's state-aid-to-schools formula.[15]

On specific issues, Baker supported the proposed expansion of Medicaid in Nebraska under the provisions of the 2010 Affordable Care Act; Tiemann was inclined to oppose the expansion, lest the federal government renege on its pledge to reimburse states for the increased costs.[15] Baker supported retaining a state law offering in-state tuition rates to persons who were residing illegally in the United States after being brought into the country as children, and who were granted an exemption from deportation under the Barack Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program; Tiemann opposed this tuition policy.[15] Tiemann favored retaining the state's policy of denying driver's licenses to DACA beneficiaries; Baker opposed the policy.[15] Both candidates supported capital punishment, with reservations;[23] both supported a ballot measure to increase the state's minimum wage.[23]

Over the course of the whole campaign, Baker raised over $46,000 and spent over $50,000. Major contributors included the Nebraska State Education Association, which furnished $9,000; the Nebraska Hospital Association, which contributed $5,000; and the Associated General Contractors Highway Improvement PAC, which supplied $4,000.[24] Tiemann raised almost $30,000 and spent the same. His major institutional contributors included the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which supplied over $5,000, and the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, which furnished $1,000; the Nebraska Farm Bureau Federation, which contributed over $4,000; and the Nebraska Realtors, which provided $3,000. Tiemann also received $2,500 from Republican gubernatorial candidate Pete Ricketts.[25] The Nebraska Bankers Association gave $2,500 to each campaign.[24][25]

When the general election was held in November 2014, Baker received 6565 of the 11,712 votes cast, or 56.1% of the total. Tiemann obtained 5147 votes, or 43.9%.[26]

Legislative tenure

2015 session

In the 2015 session of the legislature, Baker was appointed to the Education Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee. He was one of three legislators named to represent Nebraska in the interstate Education Commission of the States.[27]

Among the "most significant"[28] actions taken by the Legislature in its 2015 session were three bills that passed over vetoes by governor Pete Ricketts. LB268 repealed the state's death penalty; LB623 reversed the state's previous policy of denying driver's licenses to beneficiaries of the DACA program; and LB610 increased the tax on gasoline to pay for repairs to roads and bridges.[28][29][30] Baker voted in favor of the death-penalty repeal, and to override Ricketts's veto of the measure;[31] he voted for passage of LB623, and to override the gubernatorial veto;[32] and he voted for passage of the gas-tax increase, and to override the veto.[33]

2016 session

In its 2016 session, the Nebraska legislature passed three bills that Ricketts then vetoed. LB580 would have created an independent commission of citizens to draw new district maps following censuses; supporters described it as an attempt to de-politicize the redistricting process, while Ricketts maintained that the bill delegated the legislature's constitutional duty of redistricting to "an unelected and unaccountable board".[34][35] Baker voted for the bill in its 29–15 passage.[36] Sponsor John Murante opted not to seek an override of the governor's veto.[37]

A second vetoed bill, LB935, would have changed state audit procedures. The bill passed by a margin of 37–8, with 4 present and not voting; Baker was among those voting in favor. The bill was withdrawn without an attempt to override the veto; the state auditor agreed to work with the governor on a new version for the next year's session.[34][38]

A third bill passed over Ricketts's veto. LB947 made DACA beneficiaries eligible for commercial and professional licenses in Nebraska. The bill passed the Legislature on a vote of 33–11–5; the veto override passed 31–13–5. Baker voted for the bill, and for the override of Ricketts's veto.[39][40]

The legislature failed to pass LB10, greatly desired by the Republican Party, which would have restored Nebraska to a winner-take-all scheme of allocating its electoral votes in U.S. presidential elections, rather than continuing its practice of awarding the electoral vote for each congressional district to the candidate who received the most votes in that district. Supporters were unable to break a filibuster; in the 32–17 cloture motion, Baker was among those who voted for the bill.[41][42]

References

  1. ^ a b "Sen. Roy Baker—Biography". Nebraska Legislature. Retrieved 2015-05-26. Archived 2015-05-26 at Wayback Machine.
  2. ^ a b c "Roy Baker". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  3. ^ a b "Dr. Roy Baker, Interim Superintendent". Beatrice Public Schools. Retrieved 2015-05-27. Archived 2015-05-27 at Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ "Norris School District 160". NSD. Retrieved 2015-05-27. Archived 2015-03-18 at Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ "About/History". NSD. Retrieved 2015-05-27. Archived 2015-03-18 at Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ a b Munger, Lisa. "Norris district comes together to rebuild after tornado". Lincoln Journal Star. 2009-05-17. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  7. ^ a b Nordy, Barbara. "State group honors Norris superintendent with top award". Lincoln Journal Star. 2004-11-23. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  8. ^ Reist, Margaret. "Norris superintendent retiring after 13 years". Beatrice Daily Sun. 2009-08-17. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  9. ^ Deck, Emily. "Interim superintendent starts his first week". Beatrice Daily Sun. 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  10. ^ "About Us". Baker & Rastovski School Services. Retrieved 2015-05-27. Archived 2014-11-14 at Wayback Machine.
  11. ^ Dunker, Chris. "Beatrice schools hire retired Norris superintendent". Lincoln Journal Star. 2012-10-09. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  12. ^ "Roy Baker to run for District 30 seat". Beatrice Daily Sun. 2013-09-09. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  13. ^ "Retired Norris school superintendent Roy Baker to run for Legislature". Omaha World-Herald. 2013-09-10. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  14. ^ "Legislative District 30 - LB703 (2011)". Nebraska Legislature. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  15. ^ a b c d e f g Hammel, Paul. "Views on Medicaid, immigration diverge in Nebraska Legislative District 30 rac". Omaha World-Herald. 2014-10-12. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  16. ^ Bergin, Nicholas. "Bob Tiemann makes third run for Legislature". Lincoln Journal Star. 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  17. ^ Buckner, Austin. "Tiemann to run for state senate". Beatrice Daily Sun. 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  18. ^ The Lincoln Journal Star erroneously reports the year of Tiemann's first run for the Legislature as 1978; see Bergin, Nicholas, "Bob Tiemann makes third run for Legislature", 2014-10-20, retrieved 2015-05-27. Tiemann's name does not appear as a 30th District candidate in "Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: Primary Election, Held May 9, 1978", available for download at "Previous Elections", Nebraska Secretary of State; retrieved 2015-02-28.
  19. ^ "Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: Primary Election, Held May 11, 1982" , p. 15. Available for download via "Previous Elections", Nebraska Secretary of State; retrieved 2015-02-28.
  20. ^ "Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: Primary Election, May 11, 2010", p. 26. Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  21. ^ "Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: Primary Election, May 13, 2014", p. 36. Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved 2015-05-19.
  22. ^ Bergin, Nicholas. "Roy Baker, District 30 candidate, pledges to be statesman". Lincoln Journal Star. 2014-10-20. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  23. ^ a b Hemphill, Emily. "Legislative forum offers look at candidates". Beatrice Daily Sun. 2012-09-14. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
  24. ^ a b "Roy Baker for Legislature". Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. Retrieved 2015-05-27. See "Financial Summary" tab for overall numbers; "Schedule A" for contributions by individuals; "Schedule B" for contributions by businesses and organizations.
  25. ^ a b "Bob Tiemann for Legislature". Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission. Retrieved 2015-05-27. See "Financial Summary" tab for overall numbers; "Schedule A" for contributions by individuals; "Schedule B" for contributions by businesses and organizations.
  26. ^ "Official Report of the Board of State Canvassers of the State of Nebraska: General Election, November 4, 2014", p. 21. Nebraska Secretary of State. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  27. ^ "2015 Legislative Committees". Nebraska Legislature. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
  28. ^ a b Knapp, Fred. "2015 Legislature Leaves Its Mark On Nebraska". NET (Nebraska public radio and television). 2015-06-03. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  29. ^ Walton, Don. "Senators override Ricketts' veto of Dreamers licenses". Lincoln Journal Star. 2015-05-28. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  30. ^ Pluhacek, Zach. "Gas tax hike gets Nebraska lawmakers' OK, governor's veto". Lincoln Journal Star. 2015-05-07. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
  31. ^ "Legislative Journal, One Hundred Fourth Legislature, First Session". Nebraska Legislature. Vote on final reading of LB268 is at pp. 1738–39; override of veto is at pp. 1896–98.
  32. ^ "Legislative Journal, One Hundred Fourth Legislature, First Session". Nebraska Legislature. Vote on final reading of LB623 is at pp. 1791–92; override of veto is at pp. 1930–32.
  33. ^ "Legislative Journal, One Hundred Fourth Legislature, First Session". Nebraska Legislature. Vote on final reading of LB610 is at p. 1500; override of veto is at p. 1623.
  34. ^ a b Matheny, Ryan. "Nebraska legislators wrap up 2016 session". KMA. April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  35. ^ Nohr, Emily. "'Unconstitutional, unelected and unaccountable': Ricketts vetoes bill to revamp how political maps are drawn". Omaha World-Herald. April 18, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  36. ^ "Legislative Journal: Carryover Legislation". p. 1622. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  37. ^ "Independent redistricting commission vetoed, no override attempt offered". Unicameral Update. April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  38. ^ "Legislative Journal: Carryover Legislation". pp. 1579–80. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  39. ^ Duggan, Joe. "Legislature to vote on overriding veto on bill that would allow work licenses for those brought to U.S. illegally as kids". Omaha World-Herald. April 19, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  40. ^ "Legislative Journal: Carryover Legislation". Passage of LB947 is on p. 1614; the veto override is on pp. 1637–38. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  41. ^ Stoddard, Martha. "Bill to return Nebraska to winner-take-all Electoral College method comes up short". Omaha World-Herald. April 13, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  42. ^ "Legislative Journal: Carryover Legislation". p. 1591. Retrieved April 29, 2016.

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