Douglas County’s district attorney should formally investigate a spurious election postcard mailing that went out the weekend before this month’s city election, Lawrence Mayor Boog Highberger said Thursday.

During an online chat at the News Center, Highberger called for a probe into the mailing, which falsely linked City Commissioner David Schauner to domestic abuse.

The cards contained no identification as to whom they were from or who paid for them.

However, local printers said that plumber Mike Capra approached them about printing cards with similar language.

“I would encourage Dist. Atty. Charles Branson to conduct a thorough investigation of these allegations, and I will urge the commission to add a tightening of campaign finance laws to our list of legislative priorities for 2006,” Highberger said in his online comments.

Highberger also was asked whether the commission would consider decriminalizing cannabis (marijuana).

“I haven’t really pursued this issue here, because I agree that we have many other important issues on our plate,” Highberger said. “I do think that spending a lot of police and judicial time on going after people who are in possession of small amounts of marijuana isn’t a wise use of our limited resources.”

6News video: Lawrence’s new mayor chats online (04-14-05) Chat transcript with Mayor Boog Highberger

You can read the full transcript of the mayor’s chat online at http://www.ljworld.com/section/ljw_chats/.