Regular people in Lawrence don’t seem to have much influence at City Hall, according to officials of a new political action committee especially when compared with the “growth machine” of builders, real estate agents and developers.

Members of the Progressive Lawrence Campaign aim to change that by educating voters about growth issues facing the city, and getting voters to the polls for next April’s Lawrence City Commission election.

Jason Fizell, from left, Melinda Henderson and Kirk McClure, pictured in August 2002, hope their political action committee, Progressive Lawrence Campaign, will help regular residents make informed choices.

“We want to give the vast majority of citizens a voice in city government,” said Jason Fizell, president of the committee. “We definitely hope to affect city commission elections and how planning decisions are made.”

The committee has no plans to run a slate of candidates, Fizell said, but “all options are open.”

One plan in the works: an analysis of the financial backers of city commission candidates during the 2003 campaign.

“Follow the money,” said Melinda Henderson, the group’s administrator.

Members of the committee Fizell, Henderson and treasurer Kirk McClure began meeting in October.

Henderson said she was moved to start the PAC when she realized contentious growth issues often had two sides: well-paid and well-organized professionals whose job was to promote often-controversial developments (like a planned Home Depot at 31st and Iowa streets, or the ever-changing plans for development at Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive) versus neighborhood residents who often came to the process later, after plans are made public and they realized the stakes.

In such a battle, members of the new group said, the professionals have the advantage.

“There’s this cadre of people who are paid to be there,” Fizell said. “They deserve to be there, but they don’t deserve a disparate voice.”

Bill Yanek of the Lawrence Builder-Realtor Coalition disagreed with that assessment.

“There are builders and Realtors who are community leaders, but we certainly don’t think we run the show,” he said. “We’re not out there to drive a completely pro-growth agenda. We want to work with city officials and with groups like” the Progressive Lawrence Campaign.

¢ www.plcampaign.org¢ growth.lawrence.com

The campaign’s Web site says the group wants to support candidates who believe:

“New development should preserve the environment, strengthen existing neighborhoods, and pursue transit, bicycle and pedestrian friendly designs.

“Residential growth must pay a fair share of the costs of the new infrastructure required to service that growth.

“Tax incentives to business should be rare, and fair to both the recipient and taxpayers.”

McClure said he believed the group would represent the beliefs of most Lawrence residents.

“I’m satisfied the majority of people are in favor of planned growth,” he said. “That doesn’t mean they’re anti-growth most people realize they’re lucky to be living in a growing community. But they ought to have as much voice as the developers.”

Cody McWherter, 6, and his brother Austin, 4, both of Fort Riley, come to check out the military camp in Constant Park.