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    • Chambers Files for Learning Community Post Save Email Print
    Panel will oversee metro education
    Posted: 2:47 PM Jul 11, 2008
     Last Updated: 2:47 PM Jul 11, 2008
    37 comments
    A | A | A

    Ernie Chambers has filed as a candidate for the new council that will oversee education initiatives in the Omaha metro area.

    Chambers filed with the Secretary of State's office Thursday in a bid to represent north Omaha on the Learning Community Coordinating Council of Douglas and Sarpy counties.

    The learning community partners 11 school districts in Douglas and Sarpy counties to increase diversity and equalize educational opportunities. It grew from what some saw as a radical plan by Chambers to split Omaha Public Schools along racially identifiable lines.

    Chambers is the longest-serving state senator in Nebraska history but is being retired from the Unicameral by term limits.

    Chambers and Melvin Muhammad are currently the only two people running in District 2 and two candidates will be elected.
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    Posted by: Jerry on Jul 16, 2008 at 10:41 AM
    For the love of God, don't let Chambers into this position!!!! His statements, and actions show you that he is nothing but a biggot, and a raicest! He blocks every action at every turn! It is high time that Chambers went home and stayed there!
    Posted by: Jim on Jul 15, 2008 at 05:28 PM
    Don't you think Omaha & Nebraska has had ENOUGH of Mr. Chambers?! He is not for anyone but ERNIE! He just likes to hear himself talk! He is personally responsible for Filibusters & the "do nothing" Unicameral! He needs to move on! He should have been removed from office immediately after he filed a law suit against God! I don't care what type of point he was attempting to make! The fact is he made Nebraska look bad in the National spot light and the citizens of Nebraska should not stand for it!
    Posted by: Sandra on Jul 15, 2008 at 03:00 PM
    WOW! What will he think of next? He knows nothing else, but to be on some sort of committe....The children are our futures, not the past, as Mr. Chambers likes to focus on. ERNIE, please just go away peacefuly. You have lost respect and are not really wanted....THANK GOD FOR TERM LIMITS!!!!
    Posted by: Jeff on Jul 15, 2008 at 02:38 PM
    J, I agree that Chambers is not a pioneer. He is very old school in his race rhetoric. Maybe it was new to some people in Nebraska, I don't know. As far as lazy because he didn't implement a bunch of things while in the unicameral? My opinion is different. I feel that the LESS the legislature does, the better. With the presidential election coming, everyone's yelling "Change, change, change!" They say it's to hard to get things done in congress. Yeah? Good! Everyone wants to leave their legacy, like a footbridge or a downtown stadium. I wish it was HARDER for them to take and spend my money. I might not trust Chambers. I might disagree with his political agenda. But when he was in the unicameral shouting down what he saw as unnecessary, I could appreciate what he was doing. He worked hard at tearing things down, sometimes for the better. Still, I'm glad he was forced out. (P.S. I'm not going to elect him. Don't ever accuse me of that again!)
    Posted by: me on Jul 15, 2008 at 01:39 PM
    Ernie will never go away! I think it's kind of cool that he's running for this board! good luck to him!!!
    Posted by: J on Jul 14, 2008 at 06:22 PM
    Jeff, you can't say he is lazy? I sure can! That guy was in the state senate for how long? 40 years? I believe that someone is lazy if they do not meet standards for job performance. I don't think you could make a list of 20 things that he successfully implemented or put forth in the state senate during those 40 years. I think accomplishing 1 thing every 2 years should be a standard. Fighting the death penalty is a lost cause, and he shouldn't have wasted his, ours, and everybody else's time every year. I think he is lazy. I know he is lazy. He only supports the causes that favor him. To be honest, I wouldn't even think he is a "pioneer" like every news channel makes him out to be. I fault him for his childs failures. If you read on every other post about school issues or gang violence, it is said by someone that the parents don't have enough influence in our childrens lives... right? So we're going to elect a man who didn't help his either? What a role model...
    Posted by: Edgar on Jul 14, 2008 at 09:46 AM
    Unless someone more qualified announces they are running, he will be elected. My experience with Mr. Chambers has been that of a hateful self-interested person, and I think he will carry this with him wherever he lands. I believe, instead of a chip on his shoulder, he carries a log. He really doesn't provide any input to the North O community's behavior transgressions but finds all sorts of blame for others. I'm not trashing him, but am saying "watch out - you don't know what you are getting".
    Posted by: Tom on Jul 14, 2008 at 09:31 AM
    Thanks the Lord that Ernie can run for some other type of Board. Thats the onlything he's capable of doing. Good Luck O.P.S. Board
    Posted by: Jeff on Jul 13, 2008 at 07:34 PM
    J, I agree that no one can reasonably say Ernie Chambers is lazy or someone's pawn, but you missed a few things I CAN truthfully say. I can say he is dishonest. I can say he is a liar. I can say he is a racist bigot. I can say his care for children's education only goes as far as his agenda for his race. What his full agenda is, I can't say, but the parts I've seen rely on keeping minority scores low. If Chambers actually FIXED problems, instead of PLAYING on them by trading FEAR FOR POWER, he would lose his POWER BASE.
    Posted by: Kent on Jul 13, 2008 at 01:22 PM
    Sally, I don't understand you. You trust in Ernie, even tho he doesn't care wht you think. What is it you trust him to do?
    Posted by: Mary O. on Jul 12, 2008 at 11:00 PM
    Say it isn't so. That's all we need is Ernie Chambers on an education committee for our already-troubled youth. Can the public vote?
    Posted by: North O on Jul 12, 2008 at 05:01 PM
    Even a pauper needs a job. He has bills to pay like everyone else. You think the kids in the area he will represent have issues now.....just wait!
    Posted by: J on Jul 12, 2008 at 04:50 PM
    Sally - it isn't what we think of Ernie, it is what we think about the educational development of our society, which can't flourish very much when Ernie Chambers even failed at developing his own child's education. Did you not know the Ernie's son is or was homeless? I don't think that was due to poor luck, his dad had been a respectable person at one time.
    Posted by: jim on Jul 12, 2008 at 04:29 PM
    we are so lucky to have Ernie Chambers around to keep us on our toes. Like many, I don't always agree with his stance on various issues. Still, imagine Nebraska sans Chambers these last years when he was in the legislature: our state would be more beet red than ever, bowing to big money and special interests, to stipends and grants to Big Box folks like WalMart who destroy the small town/small business ethos. We build more highways and buy bigger cars and drive too fast; go figure. Go get 'em, Ernie! Your uncanned speech now across the educational landsape will be a breath of fresh air.
    Posted by: Anonymous on Jul 12, 2008 at 02:52 PM
    Chambers will probably law all the blame of low test score on the school system and none on the students and parents where most of it belongs.
    Posted by: J on Jul 12, 2008 at 02:26 PM
    My prior attempt to get posted failed. Let's try again. I'm glad Ernie Chambers is running. Why? My taxes in Bennington will go up to support this Learning Community. He, at least, will ensure that the money goes toward education, rather than another layer of administration, counselors, security officers at elementary schools and fitness centers at elementary schools, all items that OPS has seen fit to waste money on. Mr. Chambers may be abrasive, but NO ONE can say that he's lazy or that he doesn't pay attention or that he's someone's pawn. I truly think that he cares about children's education, from whatever part of the Metro that they come.
    Posted by: Katie on Jul 12, 2008 at 12:10 PM
    For the love of God people- Don't let this happen!
    Posted by: Sally on Jul 12, 2008 at 12:04 PM
    Who cares what you think of Ernie.Some of us trust in him. He surely doest care what you think.
    Posted by: West O on Jul 12, 2008 at 10:34 AM
    We all knew that there was some hidden agenda for Ernie when he actually agreed with west Omaha on something. He knew his time was limited in the Legislature, he was setting up his next job. If he is elected I hope that his first task is to encourage the involvement of parents in their children's education, test scores increase when parents are involved!
    Posted by: Erin on Jul 12, 2008 at 08:42 AM
    Oh...I was SO hoping he would just go away...
    Posted by: Awesome! on Jul 12, 2008 at 12:37 AM
    Good luck Mr. Chambers! The rest of you nobodies, crawl back under your rocks!
    Posted by: Teacher on Jul 11, 2008 at 11:31 PM
    Now the teachers and schools in the rest of the Learning Community will know how it feels to have Ernie think you are always keeping the minorities down because the kids in north Omaha have the lowest test scores.
    Posted by: South O on Jul 11, 2008 at 10:54 PM
    Come on District 2, there have to be two other potential candidates out there who would represent the students of your area better then these two. These two men both think of their own agenda first. Step up for the children in your area. You need representatives who will work for the students, not for their own egos!
    Posted by: shanon on Jul 11, 2008 at 10:33 PM
    Lord help us and protect us from this hatefull villian.I do not hate him he hates me. I am a person and he rejects me and what I have to say because of the color of my skin.I do not waste my life hating it away.Their is a beautifull thing about all of us black,white,mexican,asian,etc,This insane man has no business around any of our children.
    Posted by: Craig on Jul 11, 2008 at 09:16 PM
    Come on now, all you Chambers haters: you didn't really think you'd heard the last of him, did you??
    Posted by: Melissa on Jul 11, 2008 at 08:55 PM
    Oh Lord! Someone please run and dont let him get in there!
    Posted by: J on Jul 11, 2008 at 05:57 PM
    Wow - the guy who knows how to ruin Omaha schools through his segregation ideas now wants to have a part in our school system? Sounds like a flat out bad idea. I bet he gets approved and in the position somehow.
    Posted by: KK on Jul 11, 2008 at 05:26 PM
    Senator Chambers served as a state senator for too many years. I have nothing against Chambers personally but find he lacked the ability to work with others. Many important laws were over the years, met with a sort of vengeance for a better word to use. I believe his lawsuit against God was the last straw. If the District 2 area wants every meeting to become yet another hassle, then go for it! Surely there's another candidate qualified to do the job. It's time for Ernie to take some time off and then retire in my opinion.
    Posted by: Tiffany on Jul 11, 2008 at 04:54 PM
    NO ONE wants to hear what Chambers has to say!! He does not speak for all black people!
    Posted by: me on Jul 11, 2008 at 04:36 PM
    Oh NOOOOOO
    Posted by: Jack N on Jul 11, 2008 at 04:35 PM
    Ernie...... Retire.......Please!
    Posted by: interesting on Jul 11, 2008 at 04:33 PM
    can't wait to hear chambers' plans if he is elected...
    Posted by: OmahaAnnie on Jul 11, 2008 at 04:31 PM
    Ernie is like a roach. He just never goes away!
    Posted by: Anonymous on Jul 11, 2008 at 03:36 PM
    Give me a break. This guy wanted to go against his own preechings and segregate the schools. At least he's not announced that he wants to be mayor.... yet.
    Posted by: Karin on Jul 11, 2008 at 03:25 PM
    Oh Great!
    Posted by: Phil on Jul 11, 2008 at 03:13 PM
    If Ernie's on the education board, you will see a decline in the quality of education. This guy is one of the reasons North O is in the state it is. And to you who say "Not all of north O is like that" know what parts people are talking about when they say it.
    Posted by: Jarbeau on Jul 11, 2008 at 03:12 PM
    It just goes to show you can't keep a good man down, Ernie either. He has to pay for that lawsuit against God somehow.
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