Omaha mayor returns to City Hall after husband's death
Omaha’s mayor says she’ll return to work and seek reelection after her husband, a prominent local surgeon, died earlier this month from a self-inflicted gunshot wound
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Omaha s mayor made her first public appearance Tuesday and confirmed that she'll return to work and seek reelection after her husband, a prominent local surgeon, died earlier this month from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Mayor Jean Stothert thanked the public and her campaign opponents for their words of support following the death of her husband, Dr. Joseph Stothert.
“I love my job and I love Omaha, but my deep and lasting love is for Joe Stothert,” she said with her adult children at her side and top city officials standing behind her.
Her voice cracking at times, Stothert said her husband would have wanted her to continue as mayor and recalled how he joined her door-knocking campaigns, her public town hall events and her annual State of the City addresses. She said her children, Elizabeth Leddy and Dr. Andrew Stothert, encouraged her to run as well.
“Like all of us who have experienced tragedy and death, we must after a time away begin to continue our lives, as unfamiliar as they may be,” she said
Joe Stothert, 72, was a longtime faculty member at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and a critical care physician at Nebraska Medicine. The couple moved to Omaha from Galveston Texas in 1993 after he was recruited for a medical position at Creighton University.
Authorities said Stothert was found dead at the couple's southwest Omaha home on March 5. The couple had been married for 40 years.
Jean Stothert said her husband's death highlights the importance of health care workers getting mental health treatment when they feel they need it. She said she and others had recently noticed a change in her husband's behavior.
“Our family noticed it and his work family noticed it,” she said. “The past year had been very difficult for Joe. The questions that we have will never be fully answered. We know that and we accept it.”
Stothert said her campaign will resume on Wednesday. Her campaign and her opponents' campaigns paused their activity after her husband's death.
Joe Stothert also served as medical director for the Omaha Fire Department, the state's director of trauma and other roles.
___
Follow Grant Schulte on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrantSchulte