CreteNot a ballot

Voter guide · Nov 3, 2026

Crete Mayor & City Council Election 2026

3 of 6 council seats are on the ballot, with 6 candidates running. Updated Oct 20, 2026. Every claim links to its source. How we check

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Nov 3Election Day

How to vote · 12 days left

Find where to voteCheck your registration
Last day for in-person voter registration (Oct 23): the election office's notice

These links go to official state and county election sites. Hours and rules differ by state; your election office has the final word.

The candidates

Listed alphabetically by last name. Every position links to its source.

All Crete voters choose the mayor, and each ward elects one of its two council members this year; only the mayor and Ward 2 races have more than one candidate.

Last day for in-person voter registration · Oct 23

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Also on your Nov 3 ballot

We research city races only. For these races, go to the state's official guide or a nonpartisan one.

Official voter lookupState voter guideVote411 (League of Women Voters)

Districts come from 2020 Census blocks and the district maps for this election. Your address decides your districts.

Already on the council, not on the ballot

Whoever you elect will govern alongside these members.

What the next council decides

01Budget and property taxes4 sourced facts

Where it standsIn September 2026 the council adopted the 2026-27 budget and property tax request after Crete lost about $636,000 in state Municipal Equalization Fund aid.

What's on the tableThe next council will set future budgets and property tax levies as the city adjusts to the lost state aid.

02LB840 economic development grants3 sourced facts

Where it standsThe council keeps approving LB840 economic development grants, including business infrastructure grants; four passed on split 4-1 votes in March 2026.

What's on the tableThe council decides which LB840 applications to fund and can place limits on project qualifications.

03Housing and zoning3 sourced facts

Where it standsA city housing study was completed in early 2026, and a first draft of a new zoning code runs over 300 pages.

What's on the tableThe council will rule on rezoning requests and on ratifying the new zoning code after the Planning Commission reviews it.

04Streets and bridges4 sourced facts

Where it standsCrete is paying for its 2024 street and alley improvements and has started engineering for a pedestrian bridge.

What's on the tableThe council will approve contracts, payments and grant applications for street, sidewalk and bridge projects.

05Nuisance properties2 sourced facts

Where it standsPolice and the city changed the nuisance property process in 2026 to speed it up, and the Nuisance Board holds hearings on properties.

What's on the tableThe mayor and council set how hard the city presses owners to clean up nuisance and dilapidated properties.

1 note on these statements

Dan Papik (Ward 1) and Kyle Frans (Ward 3) are the only candidates on the ballot in their wards. Saline County

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Who matches you?

Answer any of these questions. We compare your answers with each person's sourced record, and nothing is stored. Questions where no one has a sourced record yet are left out. Tap a selected answer again to skip it.

  1. 1. Should Crete raise its property tax levy to replace lost state equalization aid?

  2. 2. Should Crete keep awarding LB840 grants for business infrastructure improvements?

  3. 3. Should Crete approve requests to rezone commercial land for residential use?

  4. 4. Should Crete move ahead with the Crete Pedestrian Bridge Project?

  5. 5. Should Crete step up enforcement against nuisance properties?

Seat the councilSeat the Council →Pick a winner for each open seat and see where the resulting council stands on each issue.On the recordHow the council voted5 council decisions, each member's vote side by side, with a link to the minutes.

Key dates

The seat math

3 stay (not up this year): Anthony Fitzgerald, Ashley Newmyer, Dale Strehle3 on this ballot

6 council seats plus a mayor who doesn't vote on council items. The council decides by a 4-vote majority.

  • Crete is a first-class city with a mayor-council form of government. City of Crete
  • The city is divided into three wards, each represented by two council members elected to four-year terms; one seat in each ward is up every two years. City of Crete
  • In a city of the first class, the mayor may vote only when the council is equally divided or when a majority of all elected members cannot be reached because of absence, vacancy or abstention. Nebraska Revised Statutes 16-404
  • Regular City Council meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall. City of Crete

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