Omaha City Councilman Chuck Sigerson will keep his seat, despite being absent for three months. Sigerson suffered a stroke and heart attack in August. The council voted Tuesday to let him take all the time he needs to recover.

The vote was quick, 6-0, with all council members agreeing to formally excuse Sigerson from his council duties. The vote was in line with the city charter to make it official.

Last week there was some controversy when an unnamed political blogger said there was an effort to oust Sigerson and replace him with a friendly Jim Suttle vote. The blogger pointed fingers and Tuesday Councilman Chris Jerram pointed back.

“The world that we live in today, people start a rumor, the rumor spreads and all sorts of vicious things are said, people get worked up."

"I actually have people now on a postcard campaign sending me postcards asking us not to replace council member Sigerson. So here we are now taking staff resources and our time distracting from the real issues of the day on something that has no basis among any of us here.”

The only other council member to comment on the issue was Jean Stothert.

"The main focus of this resolution is not just to excuse you (Sigerson), but wish you well and a speedy recovery. We want you back, we need you back. You've had three months, you've been absent and certainly after eight years of service to this community you deserve a full six months to recover."

According to the city charter, Sigerson should be back on the job by the end of January.