Thanks to all of the candidates for Lawrence City Commission for conducting an informative, positive campaign.

Local voters will take a big step today in the process of electing three members of the Lawrence City Commission. Today’s primary will narrow the field of nine candidates to six, who will advance to the general election on April 5.

The Journal-World, 6News and World Online have made a number of efforts to try to help voters learn about the candidates. We have profiled all of the candidates and held online chats to allow voters to pose their own questions. We have covered the forums and put together an online candidate selector to help voters determine which candidates share their views.

The information is there, but that doesn’t count for much if voters don’t take time to use it, inform themselves and then go to the polls. There’s a certain irony in the fact that national presidential elections always draw the largest number of voters to the polls even though local elections have a far more direct impact on our everyday lives.

Based on the public forums before the primary, the candidates in the City Commission race deserve kudos for being a respectful and genial group, willing even to share a laugh with one another from time to time. In Sunday’s forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Douglas County and the Voter Education Coalition, candidates noted areas of agreement and disagreement but stayed focused on the issues rather that straying to personal criticism. Even the candidates noted that the exchange of ideas and the respectful tone of their opponents had made the campaign a pleasant experience.

We are fortunate to have a field of nine City Commission candidates from which to choose the six finalists. Voters should repay the dedication of those candidates by making thoughtful decisions about their positions and taking the time to register those decisions at the polls.