The spring of 2009 could shape up to be an interesting period in Lawrence politics.

Three seats will be on the ballot for both the City Commission and Board of Education, and most of the incumbents are unsure about seeking re-election – although they haven’t completely shut the door.

It’s possible that all three seats could be open on the Lawrence school board for the April 2009 election.

Current board president Linda Robinson will have served two terms by next year, and she said this spring that she is leaning against running for a third one.

But before she faced re-election in 2005, Robinson had initially said she would not run again and later changed her mind because she said the field lacked qualified candidates.

Board members John Mitchell and Craig Grant, who were also first elected in 2005, said they were both unsure about their prospects.

Mitchell said he was still trying to decide whether to seek a second term after he was first elected in 2005.

“I think I have accomplished most of what I wanted when I decided to run. I felt like I offered a balance perspective and was willing to listen and try to make informed decisions,” he said.

Part of his decision depends on his job situation at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. In February, Mitchell gained much more work responsibility when he was named interim director of environment.

As the agency’s leaders conduct a national search to permanently fill the position, Mitchell said he would apply. Whether he wins the job will influence whether he decides to run again in 2009, Mitchell said.

Grant said he probably won’t make a decision until the end of the year. He’s not leaning either way at the moment.

The school board will likely continue to deal with budget issues the next few years, as state legislators recently gave Kansas districts a funding boost as part of the three-year plan under the school finance lawsuit.

But no new plan has developed, and Lawrence overall is not a fast-growing district, which is what mostly generates new revenue for school districts. Grant said the board would likely in the next few years wrestle with elementary school facilities and teacher recruitment with so much of the work force nearing retirement in the next decade.

At City Hall, Commissioners Mike Amyx, Boog Highberger and Sue Hack all hold seats up for re-election.

Highberger is the most certain about his plans. He said he likely will not run for a third term.

“That’s what I would say right now,” Highberger said. “I’ve put in six years, and it is a big commitment. It is probably time for some new blood.”

Both Hack and Amyx said they hadn’t reached any decisions on whether to run again. City Commission elections won’t take place until April 2009.

Issues for the race, however, may start emerging soon. Hack said she expected upcoming discussions about how to add new jobs to the community and where to locate additional industrial space to carry over to the next campaign.

Highberger said as the city prepares its budget for 2009 – a process that will begin this summer – more issues may emerge. In particular, city commissioners are expected to struggle with how to fund future operations of the T, the city’s public transit service.

“If the bus system takes a hit during the budget, I think that will be a major issue during the campaign,” Highberger said.