The inner workings and behind-the-scenes details of running the city of Lawrence and its school district were unveiled in detail Saturday during a Community Candidate School.

Mill levies, economic development, city planning and much more were among the topics of discussion during the daylong session sponsored by the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce Leadership Lawrence program.

“It’s been wonderful,” said Jim Moore, one of about 40 people who attended the sessions at meeting rooms at Lawrence Memorial Hospital. “The speakers definitely kept your interest, and they could have talked for another hour or more and held it.”

Moore, an insurance salesman, said he was attending because he was thinking about running for the Lawrence City Commission.

The session was open to the general public, however, and not everyone attending planned on being a candidate either for the commission or the Lawrence school district’s board of education. Jon King was there just to learn more about the city government.

“We’re getting a great feel for how everything works,” King said. “They’re giving it to us in bite-sized, edible portions.”

City, school and chamber officials led the discussion sessions. At noon the groups broke for lunch and a speech by Terry Woodbury, president of Kansas Communities LLC and former director of the Wyandotte County United Way. Woodbury spoke about meeting city and community challenges. During the afternoon the nuances of running a political campaign were discussed.

Commission and school board elections will take place this spring, and this is the first time the chamber has sponsored a candidate school.

“We’re very pleased,” Chamber Leadership director Nancy Longhurst said. The turnout for the event was about twice what was initially expected, she said.