Mayor Beutler endorses City Councilwoman Leirion Gaylor Baird ahead of mayoral election

Mayor Beutler has chosen to support Lincoln city councilwoman Leirion Gaylor Baird in the upcoming mayoral election set for spring of 2019.

On Tuesday, Lincoln mayor Chris Beutler officially endorsed city council woman Leirion Gaylor Baird to replace him as mayor at a campaign announcement event at The Mill in the telegraph district.

“Leirion has proven herself time and again. She has proven she wants what is best for Lincoln. She does her homework and works hard to find solutions to our biggest challenges,” said Beutler.

Mayor Beutler will be forced to leave his position as mayor due a newly approved term limit amendment which only allows a mayor to serve three consecutive terms. 

Mayor Beutler has reached that limit, and will be forced to give up his position.

Gaylor Baird has served on the Lincoln city council for the last five years.

“As mayor I want to focus on insuring public safety, improvements to our streets, access to affordable housing and the maintenance of our parks and trails,” said Gaylor Baird.

Gaylor Baird will run against another city councilwoman, republican Cyndi Lamm, who announced her mayoral candidacy earlier this month.

Another democrat, Lincoln city attorney Jeff Kirkpatrick is also running for mayor.

There are two other candidates; Krystal Gabel, a marijuana legalization activist and Andy Ringsmuth, a longtime Lincoln resident.

For Gaylor Baird, public service was stressed at an early age.

“My mom and dad were public school teachers and they taught me, first and foremost, always do my homework. More importantly, they taught me that a career can be dedicated to improving the lives of others,” said Gaylor Baird.

Another potential candidate, state senator Adam Morfeld, has said he will not run and instead will join mayor Beutler in supporting Gaylor Baird’s nomination.