Quick brings work ethic back to Capitol

Above: Sen. Dan Quick (back row, second from left) enjoying a family hike at Fontenelle Forest in Bellevue.

Grand Island Sen. Dan Quick wants to serve his community. The form that service takes is less important. That’s why when he decided to run again for the Legislature, he wasn’t too concerned about the outcome.

“I said, ‘Win or lose, it’s going to be good,'” Quick recalled telling his wife, Alice.

When Quick left the Legislature in 2021 after serving one term, he sought new opportunities to give back to his community. He joined the board of directors for Heartland United Way and the Nebraska Alliance of Child Advocacy Centers.

Additionally, he became involved with Hall County’s Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative and started serving on his parish council. Then, in 2022, he was elected to the Central Community College Board of Governors.

But the idea of returning to the Legislature took hold fairly soon. Once Quick earned the approval of his 12-year-old granddaughter Brooklyn, he and Alice hit the campaign trail, he said, ultimately knocking on over 12,000 doors in District 35.

During those conversations, Quick said he preferred a casual approach instead of reading from a script or asking people outright to vote for him. Hearing what is important to voters helps build relationships and trust, he said.

“You don’t have to be a politician, you just have to be a person and talk to them about things that they can relate to,” Quick said. “Whether I’m good at it or not, that’s what I like to do.”

Thirty years ago, before ambitions of public service, Quick said he might be found windsurfing at various bodies of water across Nebraska with his cousin from California, who introduced him to the sport. Some Nebraska lakes and reservoirs had more favorable windsurfing conditions than others, he said.

“I went to Sherman [Reservoir] one time, but that’s like a mudhole, so I had all this mud on my feet and couldn’t get good traction on the board,” Quick laughed.

Although he still has his surfboards, Quick said he spends most of his free time these days with his nine grandchildren. He enjoys taking them to the latest kids’ movies in theaters, he said, but also likes getting out his old-fashioned popcorn machine and hosting movie nights with them at home.

As for his approach to returning to the Capitol, Quick said he’ll stick with what he knows.

“It’s about working with people,” Quick said. “I did that last time, and it will be the same this time.”