Groene’s resignation: Accuser modifies story, Omaha senator requests criminal investigation

Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt, a frequent political opponent of Groene in the Legislature, has requested the Nebraska Attorney General, Nebraska State Patrol and security officers at the State Capitol conduct an investigation, the World-Herald reported.

The allegations now appear to be that Groene took nonconsensual photographs of his legislative staffer Kristina Konecko with his phone and sent them to his computer, with sexual captions. The exact complaint is not yet available.

Before Groene resigned, he told the Omaha World-Herald he did take photos of her and that they were a mistake but he did not make any sexual advances or harass her.

Konecko has not suggested that Groene made advances or harassed her directly.

She said she discovered the photos herself on Groene’s laptop while she was cleaning up his computer, one of her periodic tasks in the course of her employment.

Konecko told the Bulletin a couple photos were taken as long ago as 2018 and others were more recent. She said she’d had a good relationship with Groene over the years and was dismayed to find the pictures. She told an Omaha news outlet that the pictures were “objectifying and demeaning.”

She complained to the Legislature’s Executive Committee in early February, she told the Bulletin.

Konecko declined to say more, but an Omaha website said Kenecko said some photos were zoom-close-ups of provocative body parts.

Groene told another online Omaha paper, the Nebraska Examiner, that he took photos of Konecko as well as visitors to his office on occasion, but they were not zoomed in and not sexual in nature.

Groene also told an Omaha newspaper that legislative IT workers went through his computer and found nothing that would be considered sexually inappropriate.

Replacement

Gov. Pete Ricketts will appoint a replacement for the remainder of Groene’s term, which ends in January. Some think that appointment could come within a couple days.

Speculation is high about who might get the nod. Groene is term-limited, serving the last year of an eight-year term. Three candidates are running for the office.

Lincoln County Commissioner Chris Bruns and former hospital CEO Mel McNea have the most executive experience. The third candidate, Brenda Fourtner, is a political newcomer but has  strong support from many railroad workers in Bailey Yard and critics of the government’s mandates for COVID-19.

If Ricketts allows the voters to decide among those three candidates without one of them being a quasi-incumbent, he would look elsewhere. He could possibly choose someone who serves on the city council, the chamber board of directors, the city and county planning commission, the Quality Growth Fund advisory committee or a similar post.

It would be logical to choose someone who is in a representative position and is well-aware of North Platte and Lincoln County.

There are about 30 workdays left in the legislative session, then the legislature will recess. During the summer and fall, legislative committees typically meet at times to study specific issues in what are called “interim studies.” Senators’ offices often remain open to help constituents navigate issues with the state government.

There is no talk at this point of a possible special legislative session later in the year, like there was last year. But, in politics these days, one never knows.

Groene’s bills

Groene told the Bulletin on Saturday that several of his major bills are on track to be enacted without him.

He said Sen. Justin Wayne of Omaha will carry the revisions to micro-TIF program that the two of them started, and the speaker of the legislature is expected to make that bill a priority. He said a bill to require NCORPE to hold public budget hearings looks like it will be enacted.

Another Groene bill, which would limit the use of marijuana solely to medical purposes, is dead in committee, he said.

North Platte Chamber of Commerce President Gary Person agreed Monday that those bills are in a good position, although it would have been better if the bills had advanced out of committee before Groene left.

“We had a good interaction with senators on the appropriations committee on the Rail Park and Sustainable Beef projects,” Person said. “Our office will reach out to whoever is appointed to be sure they are well-acquainted with the legislation.”

Gov. Pete Ricketts put $15 million in his budget proposal for the Sustainable Beef plant. Person said that number started with an estimated $40 million in infrastructure costs for the plant, less about $25 million in a tax increment financing (TIF) bond that has been approved.

Groene’s bill calls for even more from the state – as much as $75 million.

Person agreed that requests for the money, which would come from a $1 billion federal COVID-19 relief fund, are highly competitive. Requests total $4 billion.

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