photo by: Chris Conde

Lawrence City Commissioner Lisa Larsen chats with Lawrence Mayor Brad Finkeldei Tuesday at the election office. Larsen was the top vote getter in the commission race.

Though incumbent City Commissioner Lisa Larsen continues to prove herself a voter favorite, the next term will also see some new faces joining her at City Hall.

Larsen, who also finished in the top spot when she ran four years ago, was the top vote winner by a margin of about 750 votes in Tuesday’s general election. As results became clear, Larsen said it was an honor to continue to serve the community and that she was looking forward to working with the commission’s two newcomers, Bart Littlejohn and Amber Sellers.

“I’ve really enjoyed the work that we’ve done,” Larsen said. “I think we’ve got a lot of work to do, and I’m looking forward to working with the new commissioners.”

Going into the next term, Larsen said some key issues would be the upcoming discussions about potential changes to how the city elects the mayor and whether Lawrence should elect commissioners by a system of districts. Larsen said that would be a community conversation.

“It’s going to be a very important one because it can change the face of what our community does moving forward,” Larsen said.

photo by: Contributed photo

Bart Littlejohn

Littlejohn, who is a member of the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and a past president of the Pinckney Neighborhood Association, finished in the second spot. As the top two vote winners, Larsen and Littlejohn win the two four-year terms up for grabs. As the third-place finisher, Sellers wins a two-year term.

The City Commission ballot might have been the most diverse group to ever run for the city’s governing body, as the Journal-World previously reported. Neither the city clerk’s office nor the Douglas County elections office tracks the race or ethnicity of candidates, but multiple local sources previously said they believe that the last Black person to run for the commission did so in 1969, meaning it has been more than 50 years since Lawrence has seen a Black candidate and even longer since it’s seen a Black commissioner.

With the addition of Littlejohn and Sellers, who are both Black, the commission will be the most diverse that it’s been in at least decades, and potentially in its history. Littlejohn said he was proud that he and Sellers would be joining the commission, and that having such representation was important.

“It’s a huge step in the right direction,” Littlejohn said.

Littlejohn said he saw the overall results as a message that voters wanted a change, and he was looking forward to working with his fellow commissioners in the upcoming term.

“I think we’ve got some challenges ahead of us and we’ve got a good group to take that on,” he said.

photo by: contributed photo

Amber Sellers

After coming in fourth in the primary election in August, Sellers ultimately beat out incumbent Stuart Boley for the third seat on the commission. Sellers said she was excited about the results, and that it showed that the work her campaign did to talk and connect with voters resonated.

“I ran because I truly believe in my community, that this is part of my family,” Sellers said. “And just like I want the best for my family, I want the best for my community.”

Sellers said that being elected to the commission as a member of a minority community was important, as was acknowledging that it’s been so long since the commission even saw a Black candidate.

“It says a lot, and I hope what is being said with the election results is that Lawrence is willing to live up to the expectation of what we say we are,” she said.

Boley was elected to the City Commission in 2015, served as mayor in 2018 and was reelected to the commission in 2019. Boley said he appreciated the chance that voters have given him to work as a commissioner, and he wanted to congratulate those who won and wish them the best.

In addition to the terms of Larsen and Boley, the term of Jennifer Ananda expires this year. She did not seek reelection. New commissioners will be sworn into office as part of the City Commission’s meeting on Dec. 7, during which time commissioners will also vote to appoint the next mayor and vice mayor.

Tuesday’s unofficial results in the city race were Lisa Larsen with 22.26%, or 6,958 votes; Bart Littlejohn with 19.83%, or 6,200 votes; Amber Sellers with 17.95%, or 5,610 votes; Stuart Boley with 16.36%, or 5,113 votes, Ma’Ko’Quah Jones with 13.03%, or 4,072; and Milton Scott with 9.78%, or 3,057 votes.