The field of candidates for the District 34 state senate seat doubled this week with Mike Reimers officially throwing his hat in the ring.
A Central City man who lived in Aurora for more than 25 years, Reimers said he plans to go door to door throughout the 34th District, sharing his message in hopes of winning a seat in the 2022 election. Sen. Curt Friesen will be term-limited out of office at that time after eight years in office, leaving the seat up for grabs in an election that so far includes only Loren Lippincott of Central City.
“I’ve always had it in the back of my mind that I want to help the local communities and communities of Nebraska,” Reimers said of his decision to run. “The only way you can actually change some things sometimes is to be in a position where you can actually change things to help the communities and local people. I’ve dabbled in a little bit of politics, I kind of pay attention to what’s going on and I have open ears most of the time.”
A native of the Dannebrog/Cairo area, Reimers was raised on a farm and feels rooted in rural Nebraska. He also hopes to be an advocate for small businesses, saying they need all the help they can get to help keep rural communities alive.
“I really want to promote small business,” he said during his first official interview as a candidate. “I think small businesses in these little communities are what make a community thrive and grow. And it’s not just the 34th District, it’s all over the state. The people of this district are who I would represent and that’s who I will pull for 99 percent of the time, but in the same aspect I have to look out for the whole state of Nebraska.”
Describing himself as a moderate Republican, Reimers cited his goal to defend the 2nd Amendment as an example of his conservative platform. His campaign brochure also lists promoting small business, securing the voting process, lowering property taxes, supporting agriculture with broader exports and promoting the best interests of Greater Nebraska.
“I definitely want to defend the 2nd Amendment, but I feel a lot of that is going to take care of itself because that is part of the Constitution and it will work itself out,” he said. “Every step I can take to defend it, I will do that.”
Agriculture is also near and dear to Reimer’s heart, and if elected he said he would work to help Nebraska farmers and ranchers.
“I know one of the things we need to try to do is help the export end of it to help Nebraska farmers,” he said. “The more exports we can get out of here, the better our prices will be, so I know that’s one of the things that we have to work on, along with property taxes.”
At the age of 62, Reimers said he has long had an interest in the political process. He served 26 years in the Nebraska Air National Guard and volunteered for many years at the state and local level of the American Legion, working his way up to department commander. He decided earlier this spring to enter the field and is looking forward to the campaign process.
Reimers is a familiar face in the Aurora community, having lived here for 26 years. He works as a service tech/salesman for Hamilton Equipment, which takes him on the road covering a service territory stretching from Torrington, Wyo., to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and south into Kansas. If elected, he said he would consider cutting back to part-time if necessary.
Reimers and his wife Lori live in Central City. They have five children/stepchildren and five grandkids.
