Heath Mello

Heath Mello (born August 2, 1979) is an American politician who is a former member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Mello ran to become the 52nd Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, but was defeated by incumbent Jean Stothert in the 2017 mayoral election, receiving 46.56% of the vote.

Heath Mello
Member of the Nebraska Legislature
from the 5th district
In office
2009–2017
Preceded byDon Preister
Succeeded byMike McDonnell
Personal details
Born (1979-08-02) August 2, 1979
Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Catherine Mello
Children2
ResidenceOmaha, Nebraska

Background

He was born in Nebraska, graduated from Gretna High School and resides in Omaha, Nebraska. Mello received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2002.[1] He currently works as a Community Affairs and Development Specialist at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, NE.[2] He is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.[3]

Prior to his election to the Nebraska Legislature, Mello worked as a senior aide to U.S. Senator Ben Nelson and as an Assistant Coordinator to the Nebraska Community Improvement Program.[4]

Mello, a Roman Catholic, is a member of St. Thomas More Parish in Omaha, NE and a member of the Knights of Columbus. Mello and his wife, Catherine, were married on May 22, 2010.[5]

State legislature

Mello was a Nebraska state senator who was elected to represent the 5th Legislative District in the Nebraska Legislature on November 4, 2008. Legislative District 5 consists of the South Omaha and North Bellevue portions of the Omaha Metropolitan area. Mello was re-elected November 6, 2012. He was opposed by NARAL Pro-Choice America[6] due to earlier introduction of anti-abortion legislation, and support of legislation introduced by others. Pro-choice advocates also assailed Senator Bernie Sanders and Democratic Party Chairman Tom Perez[7] for their support of Mello.[8][9] Huffington Post reported Mello was a sponsor of the final version of a 20-week abortion ban approved by the governor in 2010, and cast anti-abortion votes in favor of requiring physicians to be physically present for an abortion in order to impede access to telemedicine abortion care, supported a law banning insurance plans in the state from covering abortions. He was endorsed in 2010 by anti-abortion group Nebraska Right to Life.[10]

Legislative committees and organizations

Mello was elected to the Legislature in 2008 and reelected in 2012. In his final term in the legislature, Mello served as chairman of the Appropriations Committee [11] and on the Nebraska Retirement Systems Committee[12] in the Nebraska Legislature, as well as the Legislature's State Planning Committee,[13] Homeland Security Policy Group and the Healthcare Reform Task Force.

Mello is an active member in national state legislative organizations; serving on the Economic Development[14] and Energy[15] Committees within the Midwestern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments, as well as, the Budgets & Revenue[16] and Labor & Economic Development Committees[17] within the National Conference of State Legislators. Mello is also a member of CLEAN (Coalition of Legislators for Energy Action Now),[18] the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators[19] and the Specialty Equipment Market Association State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus.[20]

Community organizations

As of March 10, 2010 Mello served on the Board of Directors for One World Health Center,[21] Bellevue Community Police Foundation,[22] South Omaha Business Association,[23] the South Omaha Neighborhood Alliance[24] and the Q Street Merchants Association. He also served as a member of South Omaha Optimists, South Omaha Development Project, South Omaha Environmental Task Force, South Omaha Weed & Seed, Bellevue Chamber of Commerce, Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce, and Omaha Chamber of Commerce.[25]

Lobbying

Mello was appointed as chief lobbyist for the University of Nebraska system in December 2017.[26]

Personal life

Mello is Roman Catholic.[27]

See also

References
  1. District 05 Blog, accessed March 10, 2010.
  2. District 05 Blog, accessed March 10, 2010.
  3. District 05 Blog, accessed March 10, 2010.
  4. District 05 Blog, accessed July 9, 2010.
  5. District 05 Blog, accessed July 8, 2010.
  6. "Omaha Mayoral Candidate Under Fire For Anti-Choice Past Vows To Protect Reproductive Rights". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 21, 2017. Heath Mello has introduced and supported anti-abortion legislation during his time at the Nebraska Unicameral, and Planned Parenthood Voters of Nebraska strongly opposed him when he took such actions,
  7. D.D. Guttenplan. "Why Was Heath Mello Thrown Under the Bus?". The Nation. Retrieved June 21, 2017. Nor did it stop Perez from issuing a statement announcing that he "fundamentally disagree[s] with Heath Mello's personal beliefs about women's reproductive health,"
  8. "DNC Unity Tour Hits Speed Bump Over Candidate's Abortion Record". NBC News. Retrieved June 21, 2017. progressives began withdrawing support for Omaha, Nebraska mayoral candidate Heath Mello after discovering that, as a Nebraska state senator eight years ago, he supported an abortion-related ultrasound bill.
  9. SCOTT DETROW. "Bernie Sanders Defends Campaigning For Anti-Abortion Rights Democrat". National Public Radio. Retrieved June 21, 2017. Mello has co-sponsored several bills in Nebraska's unicameral legislature that would restrict abortion rights, including a 2009 measure requiring doctors to inform women seeking abortions about the availability of an ultrasound.
  10. "Omaha Mayoral Candidate Under Fire For Anti-Choice Past Vows To Protect Reproductive Rights". Huffington Post. Retrieved June 21, 2017. Heath Mello has introduced and supported anti-abortion legislation during his time at the Nebraska Unicameral, and Planned Parenthood Voters of Nebraska strongly opposed him when he took such actions,
  11. Appropriations Committee, accessed March 10, 2010.
  12. Nebraska Retirement Systems, accessed March 10, 2010.
  13. Select Committees, accessed March 10, 2010.
  14. Midwestern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments Archived February 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 10, 2010.
  15. Midwestern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Governments Archived February 12, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, accessed March 10, 2010.
  16. National Conference of State Legislators, accessed March 10, 2010.
  17. National Conference of State Legislators, accessed March 10, 2010.
  18. Energy Action Coalition, accessed on March 10, 2010.
  19. National Caucus of Environmental Legislators, accessed March 10, 2010.
  20. Specialty Equipment Market Association State Automotive Enthusiast Leadership Caucus, accessed March 10, 2010.
  21. One World Health Center, accessed March 10, 2010.
  22. Bellevue Community Police Foundation, accessed March 10, 2010.
  23. South Omaha Business Association accessed March 10, 2010.
  24. South Omaha Neighborhood Alliance, accessed March 10, 2010.
  25. District 05 Blog, accessed March 10, 2010.
  26. Dunker, Chris. "Former state Sen. Heath Mello named NU's chief lobbyist". JournalStar.com. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  27. Foran, Clare. "Is There Any Room in the 'Big Tent' for Pro-Life Democrats?". The Atlantic. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
Preceded by
Don Preister		 Nebraska Legislature District 5
2009–2017		 Succeeded by
Mike McDonnell
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