Ousted Sarpy County Treasurer running for the same office

PAPILLION, Neb. (WOWT) - A former Sarpy County treasurer has filed paperwork to run again.

In a case you don’t see every day, the man removed from the office just last year has filed with the election commissioner to run for the same position while his lawsuit against the county to get his job back is still pending.

Voters elected Brian Zuger to his position as Sarpy County treasurer in 2018. But last May, the Sarpy County Board of Commissioners fired him, saying they had lost confidence in him after a state audit revealed he had messed up the math calculating how public funds would be dispersed to several schools.

For example, Millard Public Schools was underpaid by $2.4 million; Springfield-Platteview by $2 million. The school districts have sued the current interim treasurer for failing to repay the more than $6 million.

Zuger told the board at the time that every Sarpy County treasurer before him calculated the payments the same way.

“With the statute that goes back to 1958, you could extrapolate that we haven’t done this right since then,” he said in May.

Sarpy County named Trace Jones the interim treasurer, and commissioners were barred from making it permanent after Zuger sued.

He believes the board can’t fire him — that it can only be done by the courts — and a judge hasn’t yet decided whether he gets his job back.

Which brings us back to the issue of his filing for candidacy to let the voters decide once again.

“It’s been our position since the beginning: The board is not acting correctly and broke the law by removing him,” his attorney said. “He’s fighting for his position and career.”

Zuger is a Republican, which means he will face the man who replaced him in the May primary.

Sarpy County officials told 6 News that they don’t comment on candidates.