Editorial: Active election

With some of the largest fields in recent memory, voters will have ample choices when they select new city commissioners and school board members this year.

Tuesday’s filing deadline for Lawrence City Commission and school board seats didn’t spur much last-minute activity, but that doesn’t mean local voters won’t have plenty of choices in the upcoming elections.

Fourteen candidates have filed for the three city commission seats that will be open. The field includes two incumbents — Bob Schumm and Terry Riordan — but not Mike Dever, who chose not to seek re-election. The other 12 candidates bring a wide variety of experience and priorities to the race. Incumbent commissioners will be defending their records while some opponents will focus on the current commission’s shortcomings.

The March 3 primary will narrow the city commission field to six. Yard signs already are starting to pop up around town, and it promises to be an interesting campaign.

Because of a couple of resignations, the Lawrence school board race is a little confusing this year. Two members have been appointed to fill vacancies on the board since the last election. One of those appointees filled one of four terms that are ending this year. A total of seven candidates have filed to fill those four board seats, which isn’t enough to trigger a primary.

However, the other appointee filled a term that would have run for two more years. By law, the person who serves for those two years must be elected at the next general election, so a fifth seat will be on this year’s ballot. Four candidates filed specifically to fill the remaining two years of that term, which means a primary will be necessary for that seat.

Lawrence should be proud that so many local residents have shown an interest in serving on the city commission and school board. Hopefully the large slates in both races indicate an unusual amount of interest not only among candidates but among voters.

The people who are elected to these local offices will have a profound impact on the community in which you live. With such a large field, voters may need to take some extra time to learn about the candidates and make their choices, but it’s worth the effort.