Crystal Rhoades (born March 17, 1978) is an American politician serving as the Douglas County Clerk of the District Court since 2023. She was elected to the position in 2022 and took office on January 5, 2023. Previously, Rhoades served as a member of the Metropolitan Community College Board from 2006 to 2014 and

Nebraska Public Service Commission The Nebraska Public Service Commission regulates railroads, household goods and passenger carriers, telephone companies, grain warehouses and construction of manufactured housing. History The first iteration of the Public Service Commission was ...

from the 2nd district from 2015 to 2023. She was elected in 2014 to succeed long-time commissioner Anne Boyle and was re-elected in 2020. She resigned in 2023 to assume her role as Clerk of the District Court.

Early career

Rhoades graduated from

Omaha Central High School Omaha Central High School, originally known as Omaha High School, is a fully accredited public high school located in downtown Omaha, Nebraska, United States. It is one of many public high schools located in Omaha. As of the 2023–2024 academi ...

and later attended the

University of Nebraska Omaha The University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) is a public research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded in 1908 by faculty from the Omaha Presbyterian Theological Seminary as a private non-sectarian college, the university was origin ...

as a Goodrich Scholar, graduating with her

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in political science and psychology in 2004. After graduating, she worked as Assistant Executive Director at the Neighborhood Center for Greater Omaha and continued her studies at the University of Nebraska, receiving her

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

in political science in 2010. In 2006, Rhoades ran for the Metropolitan Community College Board of Governors from the 4th District, challenging incumbent Director Gary Kiel. She placed first in the nonpartisan May primary, winning 40.4% of the vote (4,975 votes) to Kiel's 37.3% (4,584 votes) and Steve Brock's 22.3% (3,920 votes). She advanced to the general election against Kiel and narrowly defeated him with 53% of the vote. She was re-elected unopposed in 2010.

Public Service Commission

In 2014, when long-time Commissioner Anne Boyle announced that she would not seek re-election to another term on the

, Rhoades ran to succeed her in the 2nd district, which included most of metropolitan Omaha. In the

Democratic primary This is a list of Democratic Party presidential primaries. 1912 This was the first time that candidates were chosen through primaries. New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson ran to become the nominee, and faced the opposition of Speaker of the Un ...

, Rhoades faced attorney and former congressional candidate Jim Esch and John Green, an attorney and a member of the

Omaha Public Power District Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) is a public electric utility in the state of Nebraska. It is wholly owned by the Nebraska state government, and controlled by a special district. OPPD serves more than 855,000 people in Omaha and 13 surroundin ...

Board of Directors. She won Boyle's endorsement to succeed her. During the campaign, one of the biggest issues concerned whether rideshare companies like

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...

and

Lyft Lyft, Inc. is an American company offering ride-hailing services, motorized scooters, and bicycle-sharing systems in the United States and Canada. Lyft sets fares, which vary using a dynamic pricing model based on local supply and demand a ...

should be permitted to operate in Nebraska. The Public Service Commission, which has responsibility for regulating taxis, required the companies to apply for state certificates before they could operate. Esch argued that the companies ought to be permitted to operate, while Rhoades argued that they needed to proceed through the proper licensing process. Ultimately, Rhoades won the Democratic nomination, winning 42.4% of the vote (5,974 votes) to Esch's 39.1% (5,507 votes) and Green's 16.1% (2,265 votes). In the general election, she faced Republican nominee John Sieler and won with 56% of the vote.

Douglas County Clerk of the District Court

In 2022, Rhoades ran for Douglas County Clerk of the District Court after incumbent John Friend announced his retirement. She won the Democratic primary with 65% of the vote. In the general election, she defeated Republican nominee Thomas Flynn, winning 51.0% of the vote (94,346 votes) to Flynn's 48.9% (90,502 votes).

References

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External links

2020-21 Nebraska Blue Book - Crystal Rhoades
1978 births Living people Nebraska Democrats Politicians from Omaha, Nebraska University of Nebraska Omaha alumni Women in Nebraska politics