Ballard focused on growth; Derner says he represents change in District 21 race [Video]

Property taxes remain a top concern for homeowners in northwest Lincoln and northern Lancaster County, according to the two candidates vying to represent those areas in the Legislature as the District 21 state senator.

Incumbent Sen. Beau Ballard and challenger Seth Derner said they offer voters a choice in how to pursue a solution at the statehouse should they be elected in the Nov. 5 general election.

Ballard won the May primary with 54.2% of the vote over Derner, who received 30% of the support in the three-way race. A second challenger, Bryan Paseka, a Democrat, received 15.4% of the votes.

As a small-business owner and former legislative staffer, Ballard said he believes the Legislature can ease the burden of taxpayers by shifting more of the cost of funding public schools to the state.

In 2023, Ballard joined a majority of lawmakers in creating the Education Future Fund, which provides …