Number of Terms Served / Year Elected to Office:
Serving first term, elected in November 2006.

Education/Background:
John Gericke was born and raised in Grand Island and educated in the Grand Island Public School System—West Lawn, Walnut, and Grand Island Senior High.  Gericke has completed courses in Engineering Technology through International Correspondence School and he attended the United States Chamber of Commerce Institute for Chamber Management at the University of Colorado for two years and one year at the University of Georgia. He completed numerous courses related to law enforcement and investigations.

Place of Employment:
Gericke retired from Grand Island Police Department in November of 2003.

Reason I Ran for Public Office:
Gericke ran for office to continue to serve the citizens of Grand Island after retiring with 27 years of service to the Grand Island Police Department and to be a strong voice for Ward 5 and all of Grand Island, while providing common sense in city government.

Goals or Areas of Special Interest:
Listen to constituents and represent their wishes.  He wants to provide and enhance public safety for the citizens and visitors of Grand Island.  Economic Development is also an area of special interest to Gericke.  He feels it is important to keep our youth in Grand Island by providing good paying jobs with fringe benefits and to ensure that infrastructure is in place to keep up with continuing growth. 

Community Activities and Organizations Involved in:
Gericke is a past member of the Problem Resolution Team, Vice-President of the Central Nebraska Federal Credit Union, President of NE I Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club and serves on the Board of Directors of the Blue Knights International Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club.  He is also the past Executive Vice President of the Chadron Area Chamber of Commerce.

Family Members:
He is married to Patricia Gericke and they have six adult children and seven grandchildren.

Number of Terms Served/Year Elected to Office:
Councilwoman Joyce Haase was elected to the City Council in 2000.  She was re-elected for a second term in 2004.

Background:
Haase was born in Grand Island and lived in a house on 10^th Street which is no longer there.  She lived in Grand Island for almost 50 years.  She graduated from Grand Island Senior High in 1970, went to Walnut Junior High and attended grade school in Howard, Jefferson, and Newell Elementary Schools.

Place of Employment:
She works at Slumberland where she is a Sales Representative.

Reason I Ran for Public Office:
Haase decided to run for public office because of the support she received from the community, her family, friends, and her Ward put.  She wanted to be a voice for the people -- someone they knew they could call, and who would listen to their concerns, right or wrong, and voice their opinion on matters that concern them.  She also wanted to show her daughters that it is good to get involved in their community and give back what they can.

Community Activities and Organizations Involved in:
She is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, the Saddle Club, Choral Booster Club, and the Regional Planning Committee.

Goals or Areas of Special Interest:
One of her areas of special interest is economic development.  She would like to see Grand Island grow and have something to offer young adults so that they stay here instead of moving to other states.  She would also like to see the area grow with new housing so that Grand Island will have adequate housing for all income levels.  In addition, she would like to see the police force better equipped and safer so they can handle the public without any more danger than they must submit their lives to.

Family Members:
She and her husband, Chuck have three daughters, Stacey, Laura, and Ashley.