Nebraska gaming regulator shortlists four finalists for Executive Director position

The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission has shortlisted four finalists for the position of its next Executive Director. According to Journal Star, the commission announced the finalists on Friday at its June meeting, which also included a discussion that tabled an attempt to transfer the racetrack license to Ogallala from Hastings’ Adams County Fairgrounds.

Interim Executive Director Casey Ricketts, who has been running the Racing and Gaming Commission since Tom Sage stepped down in January, is one of the finalists.

The other three — Seward Mayor Joshua Eickmeier, Nebraska Sen. John Lowe, and Laurie Holman, who served as a legislative aid for Lowe — were interviewed via Zoom this week by Board Chairman Dennis Lee and board members Shane Greckel and Jeffrey Galyen.

Journal Star quoted Lee in its report, who before the meeting said: “I anticipate the process to be completed by our August meeting."

Eickmeier is a native of Seward who graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with degrees in journalism, political science, and law. He served as a legislative aide and is currently the executive director of the Nebraska Motor Vehicle Industry Licensing Board.

Holman has a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University and earned her law degree from UNL. She was a policy analyst for nearly seven years with the Nebraska Crime Commission.

Lowe is a native of Kearney who was reelected in 2020. He is a former member of the Kearney Planning Commission and is a real estate investor.

The Racing and Gaming Commission will select one name to recommend to Gov. Jim Pillen, who will make the appointment.

The board on Friday also set a two-week deadline for Hastings Exposition and Racing to submit all documents and contracts in relation to its application to transfer its racing license to a site in Ogallala. The June 28th deadline will give the board three weeks to review the material before the July 19th meeting.

Galyen raised the issue after asking about the ownership of the proposed Ogallala casino and racetrack and whether the paperwork had been finalized. With no contract in place, Galyen proposed pushing back the decision until the July meeting and commission members voted 5-2 in favor of doing so. “We can’t approve this yet,” he said.