Lana Peister, (Central Nebraska Today, KGFW)
KEARNEY — Lana Peister is running for the Nebraska Legislature District 37 seat.
Peister has been a lifelong resident of Buffalo County, growing up on a farm just off of the Minden interchange.
She graduated from Gibbon High School and later earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from UNK, a bachelor’s in nursing from Creighton University, and a master’s degree in nursing education from Methodist College. Peister said she is a veteran nurse with 21 years of experience.
She is also a small business owner and has been for just over seven years, owning Lucky Dog’s Place Pet Boutique.
District 37 is currently represented by Senator John Lowe who is term limited, having been elected in 2016 and reelected in 2020.
When asked about her qualifications, Peister first stated that she feels like there have been too many career politicians elected to the state legislature.
Peister said she will pride herself on being a representative of the community and noted she has been active with the Buffalo County Republican Women group, the Buffalo County Republican Party, as well as the Elks and Eagle clubs.
Peister said she has been an active member of the Kearney community.
When asked why she is seeking election to the Unicameral, Peister said that looking back at the past two years, she feels like not enough is getting done for the people of Nebraska.
She added she entered the race to help get things accomplished for District 37 and the people of Nebraska.
Questioned as to the most pressing issues affecting the district, Peister said property taxes is the number one mentioned by everyone, the cost of living, insurance premiums, the cost of childcare, affordable housing and protecting children.
Elaborating more on protecting children, Peister said social agendas need to be kept out of the classroom and that the unborn are in need of protection.
“Lana will be the voice of conservative values. She firmly stands for freedom from vaccine and mask mandates, protecting the unborn, and advocating for available housing and local business incentives. In addition, she is a proponent of lowering tax burdens, voter integrity, and the Second amendment,” according to Peister’s campaign website.
Speaking to how to address property taxes, Peister said the spending is “out of control” at the state level and this must be curtailed.
Peister also noted that it is difficult for young farmers to get into business in the state. “Its really hard for them to make it.”
When asked about how she would be transparent if elected, Peister said in ways its similar to nursing, where she might not have an answer right away, but after discussion with experts, she can follow up with a patient or a constituent in a similar manner.
Speaking of her decision-making process, she wants to make an effort to meet with experts and stakeholders when it comes to specific policy areas. “You have to keep a relationship with the constituents. They are the experts in their areas.”
When asked about the role of government in the lives of citizens, Peister said government was set up to work for the citizen, but she feels like this is something that has been lacking. “We need to listen, represent and fight for what will be better for our community,” she said.
“I am running because I have grown increasingly concerned about the course of events in Nebraska, the United States and in the world. I don’t just want to be a conservative voice for Central Nebraska and all of Nebraska for that matter, I want to be the action that backs up that voice,” Peister’s website states.
Editor’s Note: Lana Peister appeared on 1340 KGFW and this article was written using information provided during that interview. The full interview can be found here.
