Michael Gahan Fahey (born December 20, 1943) is an American businessman who served as the 49th

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Omaha,

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. He first took office on June 11, 2001. Fahey won his second term as mayor in the May 10, 2005 election. He is a member of the Democratic Party and is a member of the

Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition Everytown for Gun Safety is an American nonprofit organization which advocates for gun control and against gun violence. Everytown was created in 2013 when Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America joined forc ...

, a

bi-partisan Bipartisanship, sometimes referred to as nonpartisanship, is a political situation, usually in the context of a two-party system (especially those of the United States and some other western countries), in which opposing political parties find co ...

group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Mayor

Thomas Menino Thomas Michael Menino (December 27, 1942 – October 30, 2014) was an American politician who served as the 53rd mayor of Boston, from 1993 to 2014. He was the city's longest-serving mayor. He was elected mayor in 1993 after first serving three ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Biography

After graduating from

Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergra ...

in 1973, Fahey founded American Land Title Company, a small title

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

company. He sold the company in 1990, but continued serving as CEO until retiring in 1997. Fahey was appointed to the Omaha Planning Board by Mayor Mike Boyle. Fahey served on the Planning Board from 1981 to 1991. He has three sons and one daughter.

Controversy

In October 2006 the City of Omaha Safety Auditor Tristan Bonn submitted a report which detailed Omaha Police Department officers' alleged aggressive, rude and unwarranted traffic stops, which unprecedentedly involved African Americans and other people of color. Within a week Fahey fired her, as he called Bonn "insubordinate" for submitting the report. The incident has caused ire within

North Omaha North Omaha is a community area in Omaha, Nebraska, in the United States. It is bordered by Cuming and Dodge Streets on the south, Interstate 680 on the north, North 72nd Street on the west and the Missouri River and Carter Lake, Iowa on the ...

particularly. While the discussion of whether or not to keep the auditor position continues, Fahey's office is investigating the issues that previously were lodged with the Public Safety Auditor. Fahey has been criticized for his decision to build a new baseball stadium in downtown Omaha as a means to securing a long-term contract with the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

to keep the

College World Series The College World Series (CWS), officially the NCAA Men's College World Series (MCWS), is an annual baseball tournament held in June in Omaha, Nebraska. The MCWS is the culmination of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Divisi ...

in Omaha. As a result of this, a group of Omaha residents circulated a proposal to recall Fahey. This petition drive failed, with the Recall Fahey campaign collecting only 8,202 of the required 21,734 signatures.

Future

On July 29, 2008, Fahey announced he would not be seeking reelection for Mayor of Omaha in 2009.

Legacy

At the end of Mike Fahey's term in 2009, the City of Omaha named a section of Webster Street in downtown, between 10th and 17th streets, in his honor.

References

External links

Omaha Mayor's Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fahey, Mike 1943 births Creighton University alumni Living people Mayors of Omaha, Nebraska Nebraska Democrats