OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Mayor John Ewing threatened to issue his first veto during a town hall Monday night, opposing a city council ordinance that would make camping on public property a misdemeanor.
“If the vote doesn’t go the way I expect on Tuesday, I will give my first veto,” Ewing said to applause from more than 50 residents at his second town hall meeting.
The city council will vote Tuesday on the ordinance.
Ewing said he opposes criminalizing homelessness.
“We are not going to criminalize the homeless,” Ewing said.
The mayor also addressed ongoing concerns about Streetcar construction impacts in the Blackstone district.
He urged residents to “embrace the orange cones” despite business owners’ complaints about lost revenue during construction.
“We are doing the best we can w