Heidemann's woes are loss for entire state

There's good news and bad news from Lincoln, if you have political ambitions.

The good news is, there's an opening in the statehouse.

The bad news is, it's the office of Nebraska Lieutenant Governor.

Lavon Heidemann took that post only 18 months ago, after the Omaha World Herald discovered that Rick Sheehy had been using the state cell phone to make thousands of personal phone calls to four women other than his wife. They had since divorced.

Heidemann resigned Tuesday after it was disclosed that his sister, personal representative for their father's estate, had been granted a protection order after a dispute arose over their 84-year-old disabled mother's care and some property.

In August, after his mother terminated a lease on two parcels of land Heidemann had been farming, he ran into his sister at their mother's house. He allegedly came at her, grabbed her arms after she put them up to shield herself "as hard as he could" and screamed in her face to stay away from their mother. Their mother, meanwhile, cried and pleaded for him to stop, according to the sister's affidavit.

Anyone who has been involved in settling a family estate knows that the process can be difficult, bringing out the worst in some of the people involved and stretching even the most cordial of relationships.

Add a source of livelihood -- in this case, the right to use farmland -- and dealing with disabilities, and it is not unusual for families to be torn apart.

But the spotlight of a political campaign made Heidemann's resignation almost a foregone conclusion.

It was not surprising Pete Ricketts picked State Auditor and primary opponent Mike Foley to be his running mate, althrough that may have complications of its own. Republican Secretary of State John Gale was to decide today whether to honor a request to replace Heidemann's name with Foley's on the November ballot. State Democrats warn that any Nebraska voter could challenge that move however, since the change was made after the Sept. 1 deadline. Republicans claim, however, that the state constitution gives gubernatorial candidates the right to choose their running mates.

For his part, Gov. Dave Heineman says he'll take his time in choosing Heidemann's replacement for his last few months in office.

Whatever the outcome, Heidemann's troubles are a setback for the state. A farmer, livestock producer and volunteer firefighter, he was an effective legislator for seven years, becoming chairman of the Appropriations Committee, as well as being elected to the University of Nebraska Board of Regents.

We hope he and his family can reach an accord and restore their relationships out of the glare of public scrutiny.