The two officials occasionally met in private after Johnson joined the council, but the get-togethers stopped after a particularly acrimonious May 2022 meeting, the mayor said. (Johnson is invited to private briefings where other council members are present, Stothert said.)
Emails obtained by Flatwater revealed growing tensions between Stothert and Johnson in the weeks leading up to the recent public flare-up.
In a January note to the mayor, Council Chief of Staff Jim Dowding wrote that Johnson “asked me to convey her disappointment” about not being briefed on the announcement of two major grants affecting North Omaha.
Two days after her Feb. 6 exchange with Fanslau, Johnson asked Stothert to discipline the planning director for insubordination. (The mayor’s office redacted most of the email, saying it featured personal information about an employee, but a spokeswoman confirmed Johnson requested discipline for Fanslau via email.)
Stothert sent the letter to the council condemning Johnson’s behavior a day later.
Despite ample evidence of an ongoing beef, Stothert denied that her rocky relationship with Johnson influenced her decision to rebuke the councilwoman.
“This has everything to do with her treatment of city employees and city staff and city directors,” Stothert said, noting several other previous occasions when Johnson tangled with employees of the city’s legal team and parks department.
“The letter was to protect city employees from this abusive treatment, and I felt like the (fewer) that were present, the less chance she has to act out,” Stothert said.
It’s Festersen’s responsibility as council president to maintain decorum when discussion becomes hostile, she said.
Festersen said he’s worked hard to maintain civility at City Hall, adding that “it’s important that we rise above any personal or political differences and stay focused on the work of people.” He said it would be good if Stothert and Johnson could meet privately to discuss their issues.
Sherman Wells, a North Omaha community activist, says the core of the problem isn’t North Omaha’s councilwoman or the council president – it’s the mayor.
Stothert’s attempt to limit Johnson’s access to city employees is “just another form of suppression,” Wells said.
