Nebraska mayor rejects calls for 'Tim Walz Day,' says city 'needs to stay out of politics'
The president of Chadron State College recently announced his support for 'Tim Walz Day' to recognize the school's alumnus.
Mere hours after learning about the move, however, the mayor of Chadron shut down the initiative.
The president of Chadron State College (CSC) recently announced his support for creating “Tim Walz Day” as part of an effort to improve the school’s name recognition based on Walz’s status as an alumnus of the Nebraska school. Mere hours after learning about the idea, however, which originated from the Chadron City Council and later gained support from CSC, the mayor of Chadron shut down the initiative.
In comments made to The Chronicle of Higher Education, Chadron Mayor George Klein stated that his opposition to the occasion stemmed from his beliefs that the town’s major institutions should avoid conveying political biases.
“The city of Chadron needs to stay out of politics,” Klein said. “Chadron is a conservative town.”
In a statement provided to Campus Reform, Chadron State College Relations Director Alex Helmbrecht said that “[c]ity proclamations are not something the college gets involved with and CSC respects the decisions made by the City of Chadron.”
After Walz was selected as Kamala Harris’ running mate in August, Chadron State President Ron Patterson stated his selection emphasized the importance of small colleges such as CSC in American society.
“Gov. Walz is an inspiring individual who demonstrates to all former, current, and future Chadron State College graduates that you can make a difference in the world,” Patterson said. “Even if you start at a small college in the corner of northwest Nebraska.”
Charles Welch, president of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, voiced similar sentiments, expressing a positive outlook on the move and stressing his view that Walz’s influence reflected positively on the value of small schools.
“Our institutions are producing individuals that could have the opportunity to be among the most powerful people in the world,” Welch said, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. “And I think that that really speaks volumes for what can be.”
[RELATED: PROF. GIORDANO: American education’s decline under Governor Tim Walz]
Campus Reform has reported previously on a number of policies Walz has supported as governor of Minnesota, including a law that gives illegal immigrants access to free college tuition across Minnesota’s two largest public university systems, provided that the immigrant’s family makes less than $80,000 per year.
Regarding Walz’s politics, Patterson expressed confidence in voters’ ability to pick America’s best path for the future.
“Everybody’s really just waiting on pins and needles about where this will lead to come November,” Patterson told The Chronicle of Higher Education. “You just have to be patient and let the American people decide what happens at that point in time.”
Campus Reform has reached out to Ron Patterson for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.