Labor involvement and political activism were core tenets of Danny Begley’s childhood in Omaha, Neb. An early memory is helping his father — a union postal carrier — planting signs for candidates his local supported in yards around the city.

“At the time, you don’t understand what you are doing,” Begley said. “But you learn the importance of grass-roots political organizing.”

Today, Begley still represents the same neighborhood he grew up in. He joined Omaha Local 1483 in 1990 after being hired to be a meter reader for Omaha Public Power District, following his parents into the union movement. (His mother was a union-represented history teacher.) He remained active in politics, especially for candidates who supported working families.

Now, he’s supporting working families himself in a big way. Begley was elected to the Omaha City Council in 2021 and, after being reelected last year, serves as president of the seven-member council in Nebraska’s largest city, with about 490,000 residents.

“Understanding the importance of politics and unions and understanding there are people out there who want to take away our collective bargaining rights, I felt a calling from what I learned,” he said. “I learned from my mom the importance of studying the history of unions and that you have to step up and engage.”

Engagement is something Begley has been doing for decades. He was active in Local 1483 — which represents public sector employees, most notably at OPPD — from the start and now serves as its vice president, all while continuing to hold a full-time job at the company as a claims representative.

The idea of being a candidate himself, however, wasn’t given much consideration.

“I never thought I would run,” he said. “I just kind of evolved into it.”

It started to change in 2019, in an Omaha Menard’s store. Begley was shopping when he got a call from former Local 1483 President CJ King and Mike McDonnell, the president of the Omaha Federation of Labor and then a member of Nebraska Legislature.

They asked Begley to apply for a vacant position on the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District board, which manages natural resources in a six-county area of southeast Nebraska.

“It’s a taxing authority that makes decisions that affect our members,” said King, now a retired international representative who serves as chairman of the Douglas County Democratic Party. “We wanted to have a good labor person on there, and we knew he would be that.”

Begley agreed to do so. The board approved his appointment, and he ran unopposed and reelected by his constituents in 2020.

He didn’t seriously consider a run for City Council until labor and union leaders across Omaha encouraged him to do so when his district seat came open in 2021.

They recognized not just his support for working people but also his deep roots in the community.

“Truthfully, I thought it was a little out of my league,” Begley said. “It was a great and humble feeling having everyone in organized labor in my corner when I got in the race.

“All the connections I had made over years, helping other candidates, they knew I was a union guy from the House of Labor,” he added. “It really energized me.”

Omaha’s City Council elections are nonpartisan, and the top two candidates from the primary advance to the general election.

Begley was elected to be the city’s Third District council member with nearly 52% of the vote. Four years later, he was reelected with nearly 63%.

“Danny’s family has public service in its blood,” said Local 1483 President Mark Salerno, a longtime friend. “That’s a good start. Being in the public sector, that is our lifeblood. We need political figures sympathetic to our interest. He’s aware of that.”

Begley worked closely with fellow council members on a downtown infrastructure plan that will bring public streetcar service to Omaha when finished. He’s also worked closely in the battle to update the city’s electrical code.

The state Legislature rolled the codes back to appeal to corporate interests, even though trade unions warned of safety risks. In response, the Omaha council moved to strengthen the city’s own codes.

An ordinance to do so was vetoed by the previous mayor, but Begley reintroduced it after the election of new mayor John Ewing. The council approved it by a 4-3 vote and Ewing signed it into law.

That issue has sent Begley to speak in front of some potentially unfriendly organizations, such as the anti-union Metro Omaha Builders Association. Begley reminded the group that the IBEW was founded because of unsafe working conditions in the fledgling electrical industry in 1891. The commitment remains, and rolling back the codes was an attack on that.

“That was probably one of my proudest moments,” he said. “I respectfully stood up for the safety and rights of workers and my constituents’ families and reminded them the IBEW represents the safety of everyone because we set the standard in the industry.”

As council president, he runs meetings and is responsible for appointing his six other colleagues to various committees.

“It’s rewarding because the role of a council member is problem solving,” he said. “It’s conflict resolution. You’re dealing with different entities of people with different views, different ideas, and you’re working to find a solution that is good for the community.”

What would he tell IBEW members and retirees from across North America considering a run at elected office if they called for advice?

“I would love to take that call,” he said. “The IBEW has promoted our members getting involved in politics at all the conferences and conventions I’ve attended since I’ve been active, whether it was under President (Edwin D.) Hill, President (Lonnie R.) Stephenson and now President (Kenneth W.) Cooper.

“I had that ingrained by Mom and Dad early, so I had a leg up. But I would tell them: ‘You are a proud union member and, as our presidents have laid out, why not you? You represent the dignity of workers through collective bargaining. You understand how our forefathers made sacrifices to get what we have today. There is nothing more powerful for union people than having someone in office who lived it.’”

Begley proudly notes that he is not the first member of his family to serve as a public official.

In 1988, Mary Kay Begley, his mother, became the first woman ever elected to Omaha’s Metropolitan Utilities District board. She was reelected every six years until her death in 2010 and was instrumental in establishing a fund to which customers could donate to aid friends and neighbors struggling to pay their utility bills.

Jim Begley, one of Danny’s three brothers, now serves on that board and is director of the William Brennan Institute for Labor Studies at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.

“My dad reminded us we had a roof over our head, dinner on the table and good health care because he was a member of the National Association of Letter Carriers,” he said.

“We did not travel much, but he was able to take a Friday off sometimes and we would go to Kansas City for the weekend to catch some Royals games. I’ve been unbelievably blessed,” he added.