If you were looking for Hal Daub in the early fall of 1994, you’d likely have found him somewhere with his head stuck in a book. His Omaha Public Library card was about to impact one of his life’s most important political decisions, whether or not to run for mayor of Omaha.

In 1994, it looked like Daub’s political career was over. Even he conceded that such an ending might have been a possibility. It appeared he would spend the rest of his career as a partner at Touche Ross, the “Big Eight” accounting and advisory services firm he had joined in 1990

Daub’s NAFTA work had taken him to Canada, Mexico, Japan, and other parts of the world, often for weeks at a time. He enjoyed Touche Ross and took great satisfaction from being a lawyer. Then came the day that a group of Omaha businesspeople pulled him aside and offered him a nugget of information that might change his course. Rumor had it that Omaha Mayor P.J. Morgan was going to resign. The way Daub recalls it, rumors of Morgan’s resignation had not yet even hit the street.

This was protected information, offered by a reputable, albeit private, group of businesspeople with interests

A fog surrounded Morgan’s sudden departure, and that same fog enveloped Omahans’ view of the future of their city. What residents could see didn’t please them. Ever since 1986, when energy colossus Enron had moved its corporate headquarters to Houston, Omaha, particularly the downtown business district, seemed headed for a downward spiral. True, Enron eventually melted down and wafted away in the Texas wind, so the economic holocaust associated with the company could have blasted Omaha if it had stayed. At the time Enron left, however, the blow to Omaha’s self-image was devastating. The city lost about 1,000 jobs and was marked as a place where major employers didn’t want to be.

But the problems went far beyond the downtown district. In fact, the city was growing too far beyond the downtown. Omaha was spreading rapidly to the west, so quickly that city officials were having trouble delivering basic services to west Omaha residents. The Omaha World-Herald reported that Omaha’s land mass had doubled since 1960, while its population had grown only 10 percent. Urban sprawl wasn’t the only issue. Residents were depressed over the city’s shabby appearance, upset with rising crime and displeased with the police department.

Daub understood these challenges and believed he knew why they persisted: city leaders had made plans to deal with them, but hadn’t followed through.