It is no secret that potholes on Omaha roads this year have been some of the worst the city has ever dealt with, so the City of Omaha decided it would pay for damages to cars caused by potholes for the first time. Mayor Jean Stothert also began posting a weekly update on the repairs.
The city will continue to review each claim filed to make sure they're legitimate but while the city is working to repair the holes, some internet parody accounts are upsetting Mayor Stothert. Facebook accounts like 'Potholes of Omaha' and 'City of Omaha - Info Desk' have a combined total of nearly 12,000 likes.
Even the Omaha Storm Chasers got in on the pothole jokes for April Fools Day, mocking up a photo of jerseys that labeled them as the "Omaha Potholes."
The 'Potholes' and 'Info Desk' pages poke fun at City Hall, usually in a sarcastic or snarky way. "They are pretending it's me. It's a parody. That's allowed. But we want to make sure people know it's not me. Because people have called the hotline or emailed and said, 'How dare you talk to us like that?' And it's not me," Stothert said.
The Mayor said she wants people to understand what's coming from City Hall and what's not. She has a Facebook page so she can directly communicate with the public, and each department has one too. Stothert said she believes it's the most responsive way to go rather than what some critics have asked the city to do by having an all-encompassing city page.
In a Facebook post Monday night, the moderator of the Potholes of Omaha page said they were providing a service to the city.
So mayor Stothert is still a little upset. Oh well! THE PEOPLE OF OMAHA ARE UPSET, JEAN!!
But how dare you go on the record and say that this page, has in some way shape or form informed, addressed and stated that it IS YOU, or RAN by you! BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY - This page HAS NEVER, OR WILL NEVER state anything as such! The upstanding people of this page, minus a few who come here on your behalf don’t care for your leadership in this city!
Your crass, and unprofessional comments towards the people is widely shown on your “official” page. Which you’ve blocked people for disagreeing with you! To call the content on this page “fake” is absurd! If the content is fake, are you stating that the people who post are fake? Is the damage they’re sustaining to their vehicles from these horrendous roads, fake? The money that comes out of their pockets, fake???
This page was created because the people of this city feel like that have no say in anything! They’re concerns go unheard and they are TIRED!! They ARE irritated and they are FED UP WITH YOU! On top of the comments you’ve recently made, by the mayor. You owe them an apology! Some of these people voted you in, but I’ll bet, they won’t do it again!