Rick Sheehy (born October 3, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 38th
lieutenant governor of Nebraska
The lieutenant governor of Nebraska is the highest-ranking executive official in the State of Nebraska after the Governor of Nebraska, governor. According to the Constitution of Nebraska, Nebraska State Constitution, in the event a governor dies, ...
from 2005 to 2013. A member of the
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
since 2003, he is the longest-serving lieutenant governor in Nebraska history, with slightly over eight years of service. He was appointed to the office by Governor
Dave Heineman, having been previously elected as Mayor of
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
in 2000.
Early life, education and private career
Sheehy was born in
Hastings, Nebraska
Hastings is a List of cities in Nebraska, city and the county seat of Adams County, Nebraska, Adams County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 25,152 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is known as the town where Kool-Aid ...
and graduated from
St. Cecilia High School. He attended the
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Universit ...
and later received certification as a paramedic from Central Community College in Hastings. Sheehy worked for
Rural Metro
Rural Metro Fire, founded in 1948, is an American private fire department that provides fire protection and emergency medical services to individual homeowners and commercial businesses in unincorporated locations throughout the United States, prim ...
Ambulance for more than 20 years, starting as an emergency medical technician and becoming Rural/Metro's paramedic field supervisor. In 1987, he became the market general manager, a position he held until his appointment as lieutenant governor.
In 1994, Sheehy was elected to the
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
City Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
as a
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
. He served on the council for six years, for four of which (1996–2000), as president. He then served as Mayor of Hastings for four years. In 2003, he became a
Republican.
Lieutenant governorship
In 2005, Governor
Mike Johanns resigned to serve as
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments.
The department includes several organi ...
under President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
. Lieutenant Governor
Dave Heineman ascended to the governorship, and then appointed Sheehy to succeed him as lieutenant governor. Soon afterward, Heineman named Sheehy as his running mate in his bid for a full term in 2006. The Heineman-Sheehy ticket was handily elected in
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
and was reelected in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
.
Sheehy is past Chairman of the
National Lieutenant Governors Association; he completed his term in July, 2012. He continued his work with the Association by serving on the executive committee. He also served on the Homeland Security Advisors Council for the
National Governors Association. As lieutenant governor, Sheehy was Director of Nebraska's Homeland Security Department. He is a past board member of the Nebraska Rural Health Association, as well as a FEMA Disaster Response Team member.
He was awarded the "Distinguished Service to the States" award by the
Council of State Governments
The Council of State Governments (CSG) is a nonpartisan, non-profit organization in the United States that serves all three branches of state government.
Founded in 1933 by Colorado state Sen. Henry W. Toll, CSG is a region-based forum that ...
for his efforts as an advocate for Nebraska, and his work on computerized health records and emergency preparedness.
Resignation
The ''
Omaha World-Herald'' reported that Sheehy, who was then married, had been using his state-issued cell phone for years to make 2,000 late-night telephone calls to four different women.
On February 2, 2013, Sheehy issued a two-sentence resignation letter. Later that day, Governor
Dave Heineman held a press conference at the state capitol building to announce that he had accepted Sheehy's resignation. At the press conference, Heineman said, "We take our public trust very seriously. I had trusted him, and that trust was broken." Heineman's office subsequently released cell phone records corroborating the ''World-Herald''s reporting. The records showed Sheehy had been making calls to women other than his wife for at least four years. He was replaced by
Lavon Heidemann
Lavon Lynn Heidemann (born October 24, 1958) is an American politician and farmer who served as the 39th lieutenant governor of Nebraska from February 13, 2013 to September 9, 2014 under Governor Dave Heineman. He is a member of the Republican P ...
.
Personal life
Sheehy married Connie Sheehy in 1983. The couple had two children before divorcing in 2012.
[Hammel, Paul.]
"Nebraska Lt. Gov. Rick Sheehy's wife files for divorce".
''Omaha World-Herald''.
2012-07-20. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
See also
*
List of American politicians who switched parties in office
The following American politicians switched parties while they were holding elected office.
Federal
State
Local
See also
* List of Canadian politicians who have crossed the floor
* List of elected British politicians who have change ...
References
External links
*
*
Sheehy Positioned to Begin Governor Bid*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheehy, Rick
1959 births
Living people
University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni
Lieutenant Governors of Nebraska
Nebraska city council members
Mayors of places in Nebraska
People from Hastings, Nebraska
Paramedics
Nebraska Republicans
Nebraska Democrats