A born and raised South Omaha Democrat is the newest member of the Omaha City Council.

Ron Hug appointed today to take the seat of ousted Councilman Vinny Palermo.

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Clerk: “Item 6 is the election of a Council member for District 4.”

Some five months after ousted City Councilman Vinny Palermo, a Democrat, was indicted and has since pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud and taking kickbacks, the six remaining Omaha council members, three Democrats and three Republicans, were ready to vote for one of five finalists, three Democrats and two Republicans.

And after two deadlocked ballots, ballot three had a winner, unanimously.

Clerk: “A majority has been reached, all for Ron Hug.”

Hug, a Democrat, has spent the last 24 years on the Metro Community College Board, he also spent eight years in charge of the Douglas County Democratic Party. Hug tells me he didn’t expect to win.

[See Hug’s full comments above]

The Council’s vote for a Democrat, is no real surprise. In District 4 46 percent of the voters are Democrats, 25 percent Republican, and 26 percent Independent.

But in a district that is also 53 percent Hispanic, the council said no to the one and only Democrat-Hispanic running, Erik Servellon who, just last week, had pushed his ethnicity hard.

Erik Servellon (D): “There is an opportunity here to appoint the first ever Latino-American council person and that's an awesome opportunity and one not to be dismissed.”

As for Hug, he says he’ll resign his slot on the Metro board and will run for election for a full four-year term on the council in 2025.

He’s scheduled to be sworn in later this month.