David Schauner made use of an old political tool Saturday in the race for Lawrence City Commission — the pledge card.

Schauner unveiled a six-point “promise card” of actions he would take if elected to the commission and challenged his colleagues to do the same.

Such pledges are designed to highlight real or perceived differences between candidates.

“It was an attempt to be specific about what I believe in,” Schauner said after Saturday’s candidate forum at Lawrence High School. “I want to know what the other candidates believe in.”

But other candidates said it was a misleading political move.

“Coming up with a pledge card during the middle of a forum … it doesn’t give people who have different ideas a chance to comment,” said Greg DiVilbiss. “These are good issues for us to discuss, but I don’t think it was the format for that.”

Candidates who signed the pledge promised they would work toward the following measures:

l New companies receiving abatements from the city must pay a “living wage.”

l New development will pay more costs than it creates.

l City-appointed boards and commissions will be balanced to represent the entire community.

l Major development proposals will be studied for their effects on neighborhoods.

Before Saturday's public forum, three city commission candidates, from left, Greg Divilbiss, Lee Gerhart and Lynn Goodell speak with League of Women Voter's President Marci Francisco.

l Floodplain development will cease.

l Commissioner David Dunfield — in traditional line to be selected mayor by his colleagues in April — will get the job.

Schauner signed the pledge, along with candidates Zach Bassin, Dennis “Boog” Highberger, Eddie Lehman, G. Wayne Parks and Mike Rundle.

DiVilbiss joined candidates Lee Gerhard, Lynn Goodell and Ken McRae in refusing to sign. The remaining candidate, August “Gus” Huber IV, did not attend the forum.

The candidates who didn’t sign said it wasn’t necessarily because they were opposed to Schauner’s stance on the issues.

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“None of those issues are so simple as to be stated in that kind of context,” Gerhard said. “They shouldn’t be stated in one or two words … they’re not trivial questions.”

Indeed, every candidate said Saturday they would vote to select Dunfield as mayor. And there was broad agreement that development shouldn’t take place in floodplains, though some disagreement on the specifics.

There was, however, disagreement on a “living wage” requirement. Bassin, Highberger, Lehman, Parks, Rundle and Schauner were for it. Gerhard, Goodell and McRae warned against the economic development consequences; DiVilbiss said current tax abatement policy works well by requiring the city to consider a “fair wage” among other requirements for a tax abatement.

The primary election, to whittle down the field to six candidates, is Feb. 25. The general election to fill three commission seats is April 1.