It's happened once. Will it happen again?
During his first stint on the Lawrence City Commission in the early 1990s, Mike Rundle was passed over when, by precedent, it would have been his turn to be mayor.
Those who would oppose his mayoral candidacy, Mike Rundle said, are "people who practice winner-take-all politics" afraid of diverse representation.
Fast forward to the 21st century and Rundle is now the city's vice mayor. If they follow precedent, his fellow commissioners will promote him to the top spot in April.
But Rundle has been on the wrong side of a few 3-2 votes by the five-member commission, and his supporters fear history is about to repeat itself. Most of the current and prospective commissioners who will decide the issue won't say if they'll support him.
"The fact it happened once before raises a few eyebrows that it could happen again years later," said Scott Bailey, a city commission candidate who says the topic is being discussed among members of the city's various neighborhood associations. The Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods included a question about the issue on a list to be asked at a candidate forum last week.
Rundle himself is hopeful.
"From the comments people are making, it sounds like my chances of being mayor are better than in 1990," he said.
That's difficult to discern. Mayor Jim Henry, the only commissioner aside from Rundle not facing re-election this year, wouldn't comment. The top three vote-getters in the February primary incumbents Erv Hodges and Marty Kennedy and challenger Sue Hack wouldn't commit to a position.
"Rundle has done nothing wrong," Hodges said. "If he is nominated and seconded, I believe he'll be elected."
The remaining candidates incumbent David Dunfield and challengers Bailey and Adam Mansfield support Rundle for mayor.
"In my personal opinion, it would be unforgivable not to elect Mike as the next mayor," said Dunfield, who said he also heard concerns about the topic but initially dismissed them as unfounded.
Bully pulpit
Whatever decision is made will affect the city's ongoing debate on growth issues.
Rundle's votes in the minority often have come on growth issues, most notably whether to grant tax abatements to incoming businesses. Supporters say Rundle as mayor could have an impact on Lawrence's growth debate by using the bully pulpit that comes with the largely ceremonial position and, more tangibly, with appointments to the city's many advisory boards.
"A lot of people seem to think the mayor is just a figurehead," said Melinda Henderson, a community activist concerned about Lawrence growth. "But he does make appointments to the planning commission, and they set the tone for how we address growth."
Diversity
"Passing (the mayor's post) around helps give diversity to the boards and commissions that we have, so the public can see their interests reflected in those appointments," said Marci Francisco, a former Lawrence mayor.
Rundle said he would try to put different voices on the boards. Those who would oppose his mayoral candidacy, he said, are "people who practice winner-take-all politics" afraid of diverse representation.
"We probably wouldn't get a gold star for being diverse," he said. "A lot of the same people rotate from one board to another."
Unwritten rules
The city code directs commissioners to choose a mayor annually, but says nothing about criteria for doing so. The commission has long followed election results; the top vote-getter in the city election became vice mayor the first year of the term, then mayor the second year. The second-place finisher followed in those spots a year later.
Rundle was the second-place finisher in the 1999 election, behind Henry. Rundle and his supporters say that, even though the commission isn't bound by precedent, departing from it would amount to a disenfranchisement of voters.
"I think there's an expectation among voters that their will will be represented, their statement, their vote," Rundle said. "The outcome is a strong community that does live up to those ideals."
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