KEARNEY — There will be new faces in new positions on the Kearney City Council in the future, Jonathan Nikkila was named Mayor, while Kurt Schmidt was sworn into his seat on the council.
With former Mayor Stan Clouse being elected to the Nebraska Legislature to represent District 37 and former council member Bruce Lear not seeking re-election, there were open spots on the council.
Incumbent Jonathan Nikkila, Kurt Schmidt and Alex Straatmann were all voted onto the city council during the general election in November.
Both Nikkila and Schmidt were sworn in, Straatmann will be sworn in on Dec. 17.
Nikkila was named president/mayor of the council, while Randy Buschkoetter was reappointed to his role as vice-president. Peggy Eynetich was also reappointed to her role as city clerk.
“Kearney is an amazing community. We will miss Stan and Bruce, but I’m excited for Kurt and Alex and the new ideas and perspectives they will bring, along with the great experience Tami and Randy bring as community leaders,” Nikkila wrote after the meeting in an update to the community.
