Editor’s note: This week, the Hastings Tribune is presenting stories on all candidates in the race for Nebraska Legislature District 33.
As a longtime educator, military veteran and lifelong Nebraskan, Dan Lonowski feels a strong sense of duty toward defending the values and way of life that have served him and his family so long and so well.
Lonowski, 61, enters the District 33 race for a seat in the Nebraska Legislature bent on keeping Nebraska schools from succumbing to what he feels are unnecessary changes in curriculum that have crept into school systems across the United States in recent years.
He is running to succeed state Sen. Steve Halloran of Hastings, who has served two consecutive terms and is prevented by term limits for seeking re-election this year. The other candidates are Joshua Frederick, Paul Hamelink and Michelle Smith.
The Legislature is an officially nonpartisan body. The top two District 33 finishers in the May 14 primary will advance to the Nov. 5 general election, facing off head to head.
District 33 encompasses all of Adams and Kearney counties and a portion of Phelps County.
Having taught for 34 years in Nebraska schools — including 29 years at Adams Central High School as a Spanish teacher and Hall of Fame wrestling coach — Lonowski sees no reason for educators to deviate from the tried-and-true curricula that have been used effectively by the state’s private and public school systems for decades.
“I’ve seen what’s working in public schools and what’s not working,” he said. “As an educator, I’ve gained some valuable experience I think I can apply at the state level.
“I know what right looks like. There are different issues nationwide that are starting to creep into our schools statewide, and we just don’t need that. We want our teachers to have the freedom to teach their subjects and their curriculum.”
Retired from teaching since May 2023, the husband and father of five continues to educate through a different forum, lecturing students on the dangers of smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse in his role as project coordinator with Area Substance and Alcohol Abuse Prevention agency in Hastings. That students are able to stay sober and afford a quality education beyond high school ranks high among his primary reasons for seeking office, he said.
“We need to get our tuition costs under control so that kids aren’t walking out of community college or four-year schools hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt,” he said.
Another financial concern on his checklist is the state’s inflated tax rate, which hovers among the highest in the nation. Voters he’s courted on the campaign trail have overwhelmingly expressed the need for tax reform to ease the financial burden that weighs heavily on their daily lives.
Lonowski supports the EPIC tax reform resolution co-sponsored by Halloran calling for the elimination of property and income tax (including inheritance) and corporate business taxes in Nebraska and replacing state sales tax with a single-rate consumption tax on all purchases of new goods and services except groceries. Efforts currently are under way to collect enough signatures to put the constitutional amendment measure before voters on the November ballot.
“This is a fair way to impose taxes,” he said. “EPIC has brought up some good conversations. Everyone needs to educate themselves about the consumption tax and see what they think about it. We need to make sure we’re getting some kind of tax reform.”
Raised on a farm between Arcadia and Loup City with five brothers and a sister, Lonowski understands the role farmers and ranchers play in driving Nebraska’ s economy. The importance of supporting these industries is of utmost importance to all who reside here, he said.
“We need to make sure our ag system as a whole is functioning appropriately so we can keep thriving with our economy,” he said. “Agriculture is the backbone of our economy. We need to make sure we’re getting enough groundwater for farmers and figure out where the droughts are so we can get water to those areas.”
A veteran whose 36 years of service with the U.S. Army and Army National Guard included tours of duty in Afghanistan and Korea, Lonowski regards his mission, if elected, as being to extend a hand to fellow veterans who have sacrificed to defend their country through military service.
“We want to make sure we’re taking care of our veterans, working through Veterans Affairs to help take care of them,” he said.
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