Patrick Kelly, the director of the Lawrence College and Career Center, has filed to run for the 1st District Douglas County Commission seat.

Kelly filed as a Democrat and is the first candidate to enter the race for the seat. His filing comes a week after Mike Gaughan, who has represented the district since 2009, announced he would not seek re-election.

photo by: Contributed photo

Patrick Kelly

Kelly said Wednesday he had been considering running for the office for some time.

“I’ve been on the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission for five years,” he said. “As a leader, I have been thinking about getting into a different arena to have a voice in how we can have sustained growth without overburdening county taxpayers.”

The 1st District includes Lawrence neighborhoods north of 19th Street and west of Massachusetts Street. It is the only one of the three county commission seats to be on the ballot this year.

The big issues before the county and in any campaign for the 1st District seat are how to move forward with enhanced behavioral health services in the county and any needs at the county jail in the wake of last week’s voter rejection of Proposition 1, which — if approved — would have authorized an additional half-cent in sales tax authority to fund a $44 million jail expansion and $11 million behavioral health campus.

Kelly said he would listen to what the voters had to say before making any decisions on the issues.

“As community leaders, we have to be open to consider multiple solutions,” he said. “I look forward to being a part of the dialogue on how the citizens of Douglas County can best be served.”

Kelly said a focus as commissioner would be on his professional interest of workforce development.

“Children are out future and the future workforce for Douglas County,” he said. “For my entire adult life, I have been an educator and community leader with an eye toward creating the best possible workforce.”

Kelly is a University of Kansas graduate and was a member of Leadership Lawrence Class of 2005. He has been a board member of Van Go, Theatre Lawrence, the Friends of the Lied Center and the Lawrence Schools Foundation. He is a current member of the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Commission and serves on the PLAN 2040 Planning Commission committee that is working to update the city and county’s comprehensive plan.

The filing deadline for this year’s election cycle is noon June 1.