New state senator finding his way around Capitol

Sen.-elect Mark Christensen [Click to enlarge]

Newly-elected state senator Mark Christensen, has kept busy since being elected with training sessions, hiring staff, finding living arrangements -- and bumping into lobbyists.

"I'm not overly concerned about them -- (lobbyists) have no more control than what the senators give them," Christensen said, who already has been approached by two for water and school issues. "The truth usually lies somewhere between both sides."

In addition to attending training sessions mock debates, he has also hired two of his staff people, Dan Wiles of Lincoln, formerly of Adrian Smith's staff and Jennifer Smith of Imperial as secretary.

Christensen said he plans to keep in contact with his constituents, by continuing the monthly Legislature conference call at the McCook Chamber of Commerce and with weekly e-mail updates.

The updates will be sent to newspapers in the area as well as to those who sign up at his website, www.mark 44.com

Living accommodations are not definite yet, he said, as well as where his office will be situated or what committee he'll serve on. Those he has put his name in for include Natural Resources, Appropriations, or Transpor-tation and Communications.

Although Natural Re-sources is his first choice, he'll be vying with three other incoming senators also interested in the two open spots on the committee, he said.

Christensen said he expects about 1,000 bills this Legislative session that will address a variety of issues. Some of these may include the repeal of LB 126 and funding for the proposed Snowbird Trail.

Regarding LB 126, which merged Class 1 schools with affiliated school districts, Christensen said the state should not make the decision of closing schools and is in favor of recreating Class 1 districts if that's what patrons prefer.

"I don't want the state to dictate over local control," he said.

LB 126 was repealed by Nebraska voters by 56 to 44 percent.

Another possible bill senators might see would be a funding mechanism for the Snowbird Trail, a proposed four-lane expressway from Sioux City, Iowa, to McCook.

Christensen said he is generally in favor of it because of the economic boost it would bring to the area but how the state gets funding for the project presents the biggest obstacle.

He said the state has other areas of interest to address first, such as a tight budget, property tax relief and the possibility of a lawsuit from Kansas, because of non-compliance in the the Nebraska-Kansas water compact.

Christensen also stated that a grant of a little under $1 million will be used for invasive species management along the Republican River. Three Natural Resource Districts have signed on, he said, with the program implemented from Oxford to Orleans, Cambridge to Trenton and Trenton to the state line.

The program, much like the one used in Gering at Nine Mile Creek, will eliminate invasive trees like salt cedar and Russian Olive.

As part of the program, after the trees are removed, river flows would be monitored. A significant difference was seen in Gering, he said.

As Christensen navigates his new role as state senator, his family is making adjustments too. His children have grown accustomed to him being gone during the week, he said, although at first he had to call the five-year old every day. But now, he said, they appreciate the time they have with him on the weekend.

"They're learning about quality versus quantity,' he said.

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Christensen, who ran against Frank Shoemaker in the November general election, won the 44th District legislative seat by 58 to 42 percent, or 7,746 to 5,563 votes.

Replacing Sen. Tom Baker, who was term-limited out, he is one of 20 new senators in the Legislature.

* Born in Holdrege and raised on a family farm near Edison, Christensen, 43, graduated from Arapahoe High School and received his degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln in 1984. After college, he returned to the Arapahoe/ Edison area, where he continues to farm today.

* In 2000, he began working for AgWest Commodities in Alma, as a licensed commodity broker. He and his family currently live in Imperial where he owns and operates one of AgWest's five branch offices.

* Christensen made water his campaign platform and is associated with WaterClaim. WaterClaim is a non-profit organization providing research and information regarding water.

He is also on the board of directors with Nebraskans First, which works to protect the interests of Nebraska irrigators.

* He and his wife Kathy, have six children and are active members of the Wesleyan Church in Imperial.