Suttle picks planning chief

Finalizing the city's new downtown master plan tops the to-do list of Omaha's new planning chief when he joins Mayor Jim Suttle's staff in late July.

Rick Cunningham, 54, also plans to streamline the department's services — zoning, permits and inspections — to make them more efficient. In addition, he will work to continue the city's relationship with Omaha By Design, a privately funded initiative that advocates for more attractive urban areas.

Suttle announced Cunningham's appointment Monday, saying the former Omahan had achieved a “triple play” of work experience in architecture, engineering and planning.

“We can truly say that a native Omahan is coming home,” Suttle said.

Cunningham, a 1973 Omaha Central High School graduate, received a bachelor's degree in architecture and master's degrees in both architecture and engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Suttle and Cunningham have been acquainted for more than 30 years, Suttle said. The two men worked at HDR Inc. together beginning in 1990. Most recently, Cunningham worked for Parsons Brinckerhoff, a New York-based consulting, engineering and planning firm.

On Monday, Cunningham noted the changes that have been made since he left Omaha in 1993, including development in west Omaha and a revitalized downtown.

“The opportunities presented by this city . . . the strides this city has made since I left are phenomenal,” said Cunningham. “To come back and play a role is very important to me.”

That role will be important to Omaha's future, if recent history is any indication. Outgoing planning director Steve Jensen has been involved in the annexation of Elkhorn, the development of downtown and the inclusion of urban design provisions in the city's master plan. Jensen has worked in the Planning Department for 38 years.

Cunningham will be paid an annual salary of $185,000. Jensen receives $143,500.

Suttle said of Cunningham's pay: “You find good people. You pay them well, and you get out of their way.”

He acknowledged the city's “horrible” financial problems but said the city needs good talent to realize its “bright future.”

Cunningham's work history has included public and private projects in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, among other areas. He worked with Omaha's planning staff to retrofit the Blue Lion Centre on 24th Street in north Omaha, which Cunningham called an urban renewal project. Cunningham also worked with the Kansas Department of Transportation to put together a regional transportation plan for the area between Topeka and Kansas City.

Cunningham worked for HDR for 15 years, most of that time as a vice president. He left Omaha in 1993 to open the company's Kansas City, Mo., office.

“He grew that office virtually from scratch,” said Suttle. “We then targeted St. Louis, and he did it again there.”

The mayor thanked Jensen for his service to the city Monday, noting his contribution in helping to update the city's master plan and revise the urban design code.

“These are tremendous achievements here as we look at the modernization of the city,” said Suttle.

Jensen plans to stay on until Aug. 7 — about two weeks after Cunningham begins work on July 27 — to help with the transition.

Cunningham and his wife will move to Omaha from Virginia. They have three grown children and two grandchildren.

Contact the writer:

444-1310, elizabeth.ahlin@owh.com