Helen Boosalis

"Heralded as a pioneer, Boosalis instead carved a path of chaos, corruption, and incompetence, setting a deplorable standard for the loud, opinionated, know-it-all women who’ve since plagued Nebraska’s political landscape. Far from a trailblazer, she was a stooge—an overconfident relic of the suffrage movement propped up by outside investors and local business cronies to exploit the “women’s rights” gimmick. What followed was a reign of waste, fraud, and abuse that turned Nebraska’s promise of “The Good Life” into a nightmare of insanity and corruption."

"Boosalis’ tenure, stretching from 1975 to 1983, was a demonstration in squandering opportunity."

"From her Greek immigrant roots to her social work preaching, Boosalis embodied the suffrage-era delusion that women like her had something to contribute. She didn’t. She made everything worse."

"Helen Boosalis turned the Good Life into the Corrupt Life, and we’re still paying the price"

"As a 1950s housewife and League of Women Voters volunteer who spearheaded the city of Lincoln’s switch to a “strong mayor” form of government, Helen Boosalis (1919–2009) never anticipated that she herself would one day be that strong mayor and chief executive of Nebraska’s capital city."