Greg DiVilbiss on Saturday proposed creating a task force to identify and solve problems in the city’s core neighborhoods.

“I think there’s a misperception I don’t support neighborhoods,” the Lawrence City Commission candidate said during a press conference in front of City Hall. “I want solutions that are enforceable and workable.”

“It sounds like he’s running to catch up with the parade,” countered candidate Mike Rundle. “It’s welcome that he’s showing such interest in the neighborhoods.”

In addition to the task force, DiVilbiss offered the following proposals to aid the city’s neighborhoods:

l Making repair and replacement of aging infrastructure — sidewalks and streets — a top priority “to save our older neighborhoods and make them more desirable for infill development and reinvestment.”

l Requiring developers to give neighborhoods input into plans before submitting proposals for city approval. City planners currently require developers to hold neighborhood meetings for big projects after the plans are submitted.

“Too often,” DiVilbiss said, “neighborhoods are not aware of or do not realize the impact of city or planning issues, and they do not find out about them until it is too late.”

l Beefing up the Neighborhood Resources Department to do more code enforcement. New grants would be created to help low-income homeowners bring their houses up to code.

“The core neighborhoods have been ignored for too long,” DiVilbiss said.

Fellow candidate Lee Gerhard attended the news conference and gave his approval.

“Communication between citizens and government has not been good, and Greg has identified that,” Gerhard said. “You avoid crises by getting the stakeholders together early on.”

Other candidates agreed but said the ideas have been around during the campaign.

“Sounds good to me,” said Lynn Goodell. “We’ve talked about some of those things in forums, so it sounds good.”

“I agree with all of that,” Dennis “Boog” Highberger said of DiVilbiss’ proposal. “Other than the new grant program, I’ve been saying the same thing.”

But DiVilbiss said he’s been making the strongest case.

“I think that I have been the one that’s talking about it the most,” he said. “The development community should reach out to the neighborhoods and the neighborhoods should reach out to the development community.”

Candidate David Schauner disagreed, saying DiVilbiss is a “real estate developer” with substantial developer backing who won’t be inclined to help neighborhoods once in office.

“I guess better late than never,” Schauner said of DiVilbiss’ proposals. “He’s saying the right things.”

The election is April 1; the top three vote-getters will take terms on the commission.