Look for greater good

As appeared in Omaha World Herald Public Pulse March 17, 2008.  Republished with permission of the author.

My business partner and I are the owners of a modest little Omaha ice cream shop on South 13th Street across from Rosenblatt Stadium called Zesto. Fifty-seven years ago, my father, Tom Kelley, played in the first game dedicating Rosenblatt Sta­dium.

I feel great personal and financial disappointment in the stadium oversight committee’s decision to build a new stadium. While I hate the decision itself, I very much respect the people who made it.

While the manner in which Mayor Mike Fahey has handled the stadium issue over the past 12 months can be debated, the integrity and intentions of this mayor should not be questioned. We will never have a mayor who is more honest or better-intentioned than Fahey.

While I sincerely appreciate the ef­forts of the Save Rosenblatt Committee, it is now time to unite as a city and get behind the new stadium in order to ensure a long-term renewal of the contract with the NCAA for the College World Series.

We all need to put our own personal agendas aside for the greater good of Omaha. As for Zesto, I can only hope that pandas eat ice cream.

Mike Kelley, Omaha