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This one’s going to take several rounds of darts…

Omahan Jeremy Nordquist just keeps coming to our attention because Nebraska’s two largest newspapers seem to have him on speed dial. If there’s a need to get a quote from someone on the opposite side of an issue from a Republican, or there’s a big spending nanny-state type program to peddle, you will find a quote from Jeremy Nordquist in the story.

But Mr. Nordquist is not deserving of darts because he is a publicity hound.  In part, it’s because he is an elected official who is using those media connections to push a big government agenda. More important, though, are several issues we’ve recently uncovered regarding potential conflicts of interest and what, at the very least, constitutes the appearance of impropriety in the use of campaign funds.

Nordquist is the Senator for south Omaha’s District 7. He has become curiously influential for having been in office for less than two years. He seems to have more newspaper stories associated with his name than many other legislators, despite his relatively short term in office, lack of real world experience, and youth. (He is the youngest Senator currently serving in the Unicameral.)

We say Nordquist is Nebraska’s community organizer because it appears that his entire life revolves around…organizing the community through government and non-profit agencies. Nordquist doesn’t appear to have had much, if any, experience in the private sector. It seems impossible to imagine that the fellow has ever known what it means to meet a payroll or engage long-term in an enterprise that actually produces goods or services of value.

Prior to being elected to the Unicameral, he was Legislative Aide to the Senator who previously occupied the District 7 seat and was a research analyst for a legislative committee. He currently serves on a number of non-profit boards, not the least interesting of which is One World Clinic.

The Omaha clinic came to our attention earlier this year in association with LB 1110. We’ve written several articles¹ on this topic which deserve a look in order to fully “appreciate” the significance of Nordquist’s board membership and why it is problematic. While we will dive into this and other topics in the next couple of days, it is important to note that One World Clinic receives about $500,000 per year from Nebraska’s Medicaid program.

In addition to his prior employment by government, current status as a politician, and position as a board member for an entity that receives a large amount of government money, Nordquist is currently employed by a non-profit initiative in Omaha. To complete our picture of the Senator as a community organizer whose life, once again, seems to revolve almost entirely around government and entities which live off of it, the final detail to note is that Nordquist is currently completing his degree in public administration with an emphasis on health care. In other words, he has been involved almost exclusively in the segment of the economy that relies on the majority of its funding from taxpayers and apparently has plans to remain there permanently. His livelihood will permanently depend on government in large measure.  Considering the recent health care law’s passage and the emphasis on that very area in his public administration degree, Nordquist appears assured of job security.

In the coming days, we will provide details regarding Nordquist’s activities.