East Heights School students asked questions Wednesday of Mayor Sue Hack and police officer Matt Sarna that ran from lighthearted to heartbreaking.

Your dream vacation? What should be done to people who try to sell drugs to children? Favorite sport? How can students make Lawrence a better city? Your age? What should kids do if threatened with a weapon?

The mayor answered nearly every question, but Hack side-stepped one about whether she’ll seek re-election. Sarna was peppered about police training, equipment and public safety. He declined to demonstrate use of handcuffs.

Hack said the East Heights third-graders possessed attributes – inquisitiveness, patience, respect – that could help make local government stronger.

“That’s what I’d like grown-ups to do. They could learn from you,” the mayor told 18 children seated at her feet.

The children in Betty Sisson’s class made the most of their opportunity to go one-on-one with Hack and Sarna. It came about after sending letters to the mayor as part of a civics lesson. Students sought answers to dozens of questions, and they urged Hack to respond in writing or with a visit to the school.

Hack chose to make a personal appearance and brought along Sarna, a 12-year veteran of the Lawrence Police Department.

“It gave us a chance to see her face-to-face,” Sisson said.

Mayor Sue Hack, left, and Matt Sarna, a Lawrence Police school resource officer, answer questions in a third-grade class at East Heights School. Hack and Sarna made the visit Wednesday after the class wrote letters to the mayor, some with questions about safety concerns in the community. Jeremey Dewsbery, foreground right, raises his hand to ask a question.

Safety was on the minds of some students, a fact reflected in a series of questions about reckless motorists, prevalence of guns and drug dealers.

Hack said the city planned to hire seven officers to bolster traffic enforcement, but budget constraints would make it unlikely the number of police stations in Lawrence could be expanded.

Sarna said children threatened by anyone should run to safety and call 911. Gun owners should be properly trained in handling and storing weapons, he said.

“Some people use them for sport,” he said. “Some people don’t use them the right way.”

Sarna is assigned to work with students in Lawrence schools, and he uses the opportunity to discourage drug use. Prevention works in tandem with law enforcement efforts to arrest people involved in illegal activity, he said.

And the lighthearted:

¢ 6News video: Lawrence’s mayor hears students’ concerns

• Dream vacation? Sarna said Australia; Hack chose Hawaii.
• Favorite sport? Kansas University basketball, the mayor said. She reinforced that by handing out colorful Jayhawk cookies.
• Age? Hack is 55; Sarna is 34.
• Dogs? Both have Labradors that weigh more than 100 pounds.
• Ride in a limousine at work? No, Hack said, but she jokingly asked for one. “I talked about that, and nobody thought I should have a limo.”

They also cleared up a few misconceptions about their jobs.

Sarna said he’s grateful he hasn’t been forced to fire his gun in the line of duty; bullet-proof vests are hot, but custom-fitted, and tear gas doesn’t permanently harm people.

“It doesn’t make them blind,” said Sarna, who was sprayed as part of his police training. “It goes away.”

Hack said the hardest part of her job was studying details of complex issues before city commission meetings. She isn’t a lawyer and rarely works out of a City Hall office downtown.

She’s mayor until April and has about two years to decide whether to seek second term on the commission.

“I don’t know what I’ll do,” she said.