News Release
Mayor Mike Dafney, on Monday April 10th, stepped down from the Alliance City Council after serving almost 23 years.
Mike was first elected to the Alliance City Council in 1988 and served until 2006; serving as Mayor for 10 years. During that time, he was also a member of the Nebraska League of Municipalities. While working with the League, Mike was appointed to the League Legislative Committee and the League Executive Board. In 1994, he hosted the Panhandle Mayor’s Conference, and he was a member of the Governor’s Roundtable Conference in 1993. From 1998 to 2000, Mike was an advisor on the Nebraska Highway Rail Crossing Advisory Committee.
On the national level, Mike was a member of The National League of Cities from 1990 to 2006 and served on the Energy, Environmental and Natural Resources Committee, the Community and Economic Policy Committee, and the Transportation and Communications Steering Committee. While on the Transportation Committee, Mike was a member of The National Academy of Science, and the United States GAO Conference for Hazardous Material Movement by Rail. He was also a member of United States Department of Energy Transportation Task Force for Rail Routing and Security. (Yucca Mountain) While having a seat at the national level Mike was able to advocate for Essential Air Service which serves the community and give testimony concerning train crew size.
Mike retired in 2011 from the Burlington Northern, Santa Fe Railway after serving 41 years as a locomotive engineer. In addition, he oversaw his family’s real estate business; Dafney’s Inc. from 1993 to 2020.
Mike was encouraged by local citizens to return to public office and was again elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022. Mike again was a member of the National League of Cities’ Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and a Board of Director of the Heartland Expressway Association.
Mike Dafney is a lifelong resident of Alliance, Nebraska. He graduated from Alliance High in 1969 and attended Chadron State College. He is married to his wife, Helen (Percival), and they have three grown children.