Top row, left to right: Stuart Boley, Ma'Ko'Quah Jones, Lisa Larsen. Bottom row: Bart Littlejohn, Milton Scott, Amber Sellers.

Editor’s Note: The Journal-World asked each City Commission candidate in this year’s general election to provide written responses to five questions regarding current issues facing the City of Lawrence. Each candidate was given 850 words in total to respond to the five questions. The Journal-World staff compiled a brief biography of each candidate using information from past interviews and their candidate filings and websites. The responses to each question, however, are entirely the candidates’ own words. The only editing the Journal-World did to the responses was for obvious typographical errors.

STUART BOLEY

(INCUMBENT)

Incumbent Stuart Boley, 67, is a retired auditor with the Internal Revenue Service. Boley has lived in Lawrence since 1983 and was elected to the City Commission in 2015, served as mayor in 2018 and was reelected to the commission in 2019. In the upcoming term, Boley said he’d like to see the city continue its progress in providing excellent city services to Lawrence residents at a reasonable cost, and that continuing work on the commission’s new strategic plan and priority based budgeting process would be important in that effort. Boley said addressing homelessness in the community and the ongoing process of cleaning up environmental containments at the former Farmland Industries fertilizer plant would also be important.

• What recommendations from the recently approved Downtown Plan do you think the City Commission should prioritize and why? Are there other changes or considerations you think are important?

The Downtown Master Plan’s failure to include environmental sustainability as a guiding principle caused it to be so flawed that I was compelled to oppose it. We as a community need to utilize our city’s footprint better and there are opportunities to increase residential density Downtown that we should seize. It will be important to incorporate affordable housing into new residential properties and the city should ensure that there is permanently affordable housing Downtown.

• What recommendations from the recently completed police study do you think the City Commission should priorityze and why? Are there other changes or considerations you think are important?

The executive summary of the comprehensive study of our police department states, in part, “In listening to Department members of all positions, they are universally proud, want to serve Lawrence, and want to continue to improve. They do care about their community but are not as engaged with the community as much as contemporary policing necessitates. As the listening and interview summary in this study will report, the Department is very disconnected with many racial and ethnic groups. There is also the tension over the CPRB (Community Police Review Board) and how to provide effective community oversight.” This excerpt highlights the dedication and commitment of our police officers as well as opportunities for departmental improvement.

All of the recommendations are significant and have value, and the department recently reported on its plans to adopt them. I appreciate the department’s responsiveness in employing a systems-based advocate who supports adult and child victims of sexual assault or domestic violence cases being investigated by the Special Victims Unit. Recommendations that the commission should prioritize include those regarding community engagement and the Community Police Review Board.

• What actions can the City Commission take to increase local wages or attract higher paying jobs?

We should extend the city’s special, temporary incentive program for new industrial projects, which is currently slated to sunset on April 1, 2022. An example of the success of this program is the U. S. Engineering project, which is expected to provide 140 jobs in its first four years of operation with average wages of $72,000. We should also be open to the ideas of our city manager, Craig Owens, because he is well informed about and experienced in economic development.

• What can the City Commission do to create more affordable housing and make the community a more affordable place to live?

Affordable housing can be defined as housing that costs thirty percent or less of a household’s income. One component is the cost of housing and the other component is household income. Our community’s conversations about affordable housing have concentrated almost exclusively on the housing cost component. We should start talking more about raising household income, for example, the impact of the U.S. Engineering project. Economic development that provides better paying jobs will have a positive effect on housing affordability.

• What do you see as a key challenge for the city in the upcoming term, and how do you think the City Commission should address it?

A key challenge will be to sustain our progress in strengthening the foundation for our community’s success and enhancing coordination with our partners. Sustaining our progress will result in improved infrastructure like streets and storm water systems, the lowest cost of ownership for city assets, and excellent city services that are complementary to those provided by our partners. The commission should carry out our community’s strategic plan and continue with priority based budgeting and capital improvement planning. The city should also continue gathering and using data to enable effective and efficient management of our programs, from street maintenance to public safety.

The commission should continue to direct city staff to work effectively with our partners. An example of success has been the Unified Command, which manages our response to the pandemic. We should build upon this success in order to benefit the residents of our community. The process of reviewing and updating agreements between the city and the county may be nearing completion soon. Successful resolution of difficult issues caused by our old and out of date agreements should enhance the relationship between the governing bodies and also between the county administrator and the city manager. The commission should not simply rest when this is accomplished but should pay attention to how new agreements are implemented.

Keeping our focus on core city services may be difficult but is worth the effort. A partial list of services provided by City of Lawrence includes drinking water, sanitary sewers, storm sewers, code enforcement, rental licensing and inspections, public safety services, street maintenance, parks and recreation services, and solid waste disposal. The replacement cost of what is owned by the city has been estimated at three billion dollars. It’s important to our residents that we provide excellent services cost effectively and maintain the city’s assets well. Our partners, including Douglas County, provide other services to our residents and we need to provide complementary rather than duplicative services. While at times we do obtain financial assistance from other governments and organizations, no other organization will actually provide city services so we need to keep our focus on what is at our core. It will be important to provide more assistance to our low income residents as they find paying their utility bills increasingly difficult. The new assistance program funded by donations will help but a robust assistance plan funded by the city is also needed. The new city commission will serve the public well if it sustains our progress in strengthening the foundation for our community’s success and enhancing coordination with our partners.

MA’KO’QUAH JONES

Ma’Ko’Quah Jones, 40, is the Sustainability Advisory Board chair and community organizer. Jones, a citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, is the founder and chair of the Kansas Democratic Party Native American Caucus, a coordinator with the League of Women Voters of Kansas, and a Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education board member. Jones worked until 2019 as the environmental/GIS technician for the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation and has been living in Lawrence since 2015. Jones said that important issues for her include environmental justice, support for social service organizations and bringing underrepresented members of the community into politics.

• What recommendations from the recently approved Downtown Plan do you think the City Commission should prioritize and why? Are there other changes or considerations you think are important?

I would like to see downtown Lawrence design a pedestrian-only zone for part/or all of Mass Street. For businesses, pedestrian-only zones increase improved accessibility where pedestrians passing by their business increases significantly. A pedestrian-only zone offers a unique experience that online shopping cannot offer by adding a social component to the shopping experience. A more welcoming street environment generates increased revenue by increasing number of visitors and retail sales. This design would require more parking structures, such as parking garages. This would serve to decrease cars waiting at traffic lights or waiting for pedestrians to cross the street, which generates more car exhaust fumes and greenhouse gases being emitted. A more walkable downtown Mass Street would contribute to a better quality of life for Lawrence residents as a pedestrian-only zone would encourage walking, biking, or using the city bus reducing vehicle accidents. The city of Lawrence needs to focus on green infrastructure. Urban green infrastructure is an essential element in creating walkable streets. Green spaces contribute to urban biodiversity and an improved local microclimate, for example more trees bring shade and lower temperatures for their surrounding environment. The shade of trees has been evidenced to provide protection to pavements from pavement fatigue and cracking.

• What recommendations from the recently completed police study do you think the City Commission should prioritize and why? Are there other changes or considerations you think are important?

For starters, I want to see actionable items that the Lawrence City Commission can do to improve police reform, biased policing and excessive use of force and police brutality. Accountability, oversight, community respect and limiting the scope of policing are core issues. Requiring the police force to adopt polices that reduce the use of excessive force can prohibit acts such as neck holds, head strikes with a hard object, and using force against persons in handcuffs. Racial bias training in addition to building skills in problem-solving, conflict mediation, and de-escalation tactics should be required. There is an insufficient amount of training focused on anti-racism, implicit bias, mental illness, age-appropriate responses, problem-solving, mediation or cultural competency. Lawrence City Commission should employ more civilian oversight bodies and independent investigations of alleged police misconduct. Police departments should not investigate themselves. Accountability systems should be directed by the communities that police departments are supposed to protect and serve. More transparency should involve improved data collection and reporting practices, which are necessary to expose interactions with law enforcement and as a tool of accountability. Police departments should collect and release this data to the public annually. None of these suggestions should require an increase in budget for police departments. These are actions that can make the current budget more effective.

•What actions can the City Commission take to increase local wages or attract higher paying jobs?

Financial incentives are usually the idea for incentives centered around job creation tax credits and job training grants. Jobs-related incentives focus on on-the-job training programs for new employees and can transition people into better paying jobs and help economic growth. For example, training grants that allow businesses to hire displaced workers help businesses recover the cost of training new employees during the pandemic. Job training grants and job creation tax credits will lead to greater tax generation, creation of jobs, opportunities for economic development, increased job retention and productivity, and the ability to address inequality. These are some of the economic benefits of increased access to quality, affordable housing. Inadequate housing for business expansion impedes economic development. As the cost of housing goes up in a community, people may not be able to afford to live there so they move further out. Moving further away from hot markets may be stopping people from working in locations with higher wages. This impedes the ability of businesses to hire workers and is not good for local economies.

• What can the City Commission do to create more affordable housing and make the community a more affordable place to live?

Renters and tenants need a codified Tenant’s Bill of Rights. Predatory landlords only contribute to homelessness and houselessness. The current system puts all of the emphasis on landlords with no consideration of protections or rights of tenants to be able to advocate for themselves. Tenant organization is one way to ensure protections for renters. Since state laws prohibit rent control or rent regulations, there needs to be more cooperation between property owners, landlords, City Commission and the Affordable Housing Advisory Board to strongly encourage landlords to provide more low-income units in their properties. Also, eliminating barriers that exist in getting rental assistance funds to renters. Mixed income neighborhoods should be a priority as the city encourages infill development. Historic preservation of neighborhoods can be one pathway to increasing mixed-use development.

•What do you see as a key challenge for the city in the upcoming term, and how do you think the City Commission should address it?

The upcoming term will see federal COVID relief funds being dispersed to states and municipalities. City Commission will need to ensure those funds are directed towards initiatives that address the direct needs of Lawrence community members. I want to see social programs being prioritized. We need to expand our mental health resources. This will also help to reduce the number of people being incarcerated. City Commission needs to honor its commitment to the Principles of the Green New Deal as the Strategic Plan and Downtown Master Plan are implemented. Lawrence infrastructure needs to be improved with sustainability as its priority focus. As City Commission updates the zoning laws, housing equity and small business support need to be enforced.

LISA LARSEN

(INCUMBNENT)

Incumbent Lisa Larsen, 62, is a retired environmental geologist who previously ran her own company. Larsen, who has lived in Lawrence since about 2000, was appointed by the City Commission to fill a vacancy in 2015 and ran to keep the seat in 2017. She finished with a significant lead over the other winning candidates and served as mayor in 2019. Issues that Larsen thinks will be key in the upcoming term are affordable housing, particularly distributing affordable housing projects more evenly throughout the city; stormwater management, particularly flooding in neighborhoods; and the remediation of environmental contamination at the former Farmland Industries fertilizer plant.

• What recommendations from the recently approved Downtown Plan do you think the City Commission should prioritize and why? Are there other changes or considerations you think are important?

It is imperative that we increase housing density in our downtown that includes a mix of affordable and market rate places to live. As indicated in the Downtown Master Plan, the development of a city owned parking lot into a commercial and residential space should be seriously considered. This would have to be done in a balanced measure coupled with the possibility of adding a parking garage for lost parking spaces.

In addition to mixed rate housing, development of the riverfront would bring one of the biggest positive assets to the downtown that we’ve seen in decades. This, along with development of the south end of Massachusetts at 11th St would be a great compliment to our downtown and would help beautify and solidify the economic and living experience that our downtown offers.

• What recommendations from the recently completed police study do you think the City Commission should prioritize and why? Are there other changes or considerations you think are important?

The recently completed police study provided 75 recommendations. We have addressed some of the recommendations but continue to develop a plan to implement all the needed changes. We are in the process of conducting a nationwide search for a new police chief. Finding the right police chief for Lawrence will be imperative in our ability to successfully transition to implementing a community policing model that embraces a proactive approach to finding solutions to the issues that contribute to public safety problems.

There were two findings in the report that stood out: 1) the need for better data tracking, and 2) the need to “embrace best practices in community policing, engagement founded in individual interactions, and partnerships with stakeholders.” The report did indicate that some community engagement has occurred, however, not enough to truly embrace and understand the community’s needs. Successfully implementing a community policing model that has a foundation in trust will require extensive listening and working with the community to develop and implement plans that reflect this needed change.

• What actions can the City Commission take to increase local wages or attract higher paying jobs?

It is one of our fundamental jobs as a City Commission to ensure we have in place the infrastructure and policies that attract businesses that bring strong capital investment and salaries that pay at or above the living wage.

In 2017, I voted to approve a program that would successfully bring new manufacturing firms to Lawrence that are paying at or above the living wage and was the impetus to the expansion of at least three other existing manufacturing firms that have been in Lawrence for decades. These investments have brought the prospect of 440-500 jobs to our community and over $46 million dollars of capital investment with the prospect of another $34 million for future expansions.

We should continue with these types of policies. As more businesses meet and surpass these minimum living wage standards, it can create a competition for employers to pay more and offer better compensation to secure good employees.

• What can the City Commission do to create more affordable housing and make the community a more affordable place to live?

As stated in the 2018 Housing Market Analysis that was conducted for Lawrence, the housing price increases in Lawrence are reflective of the national trend. Adding to the problem in today’s economy (COVID) is the consistent increase in the price of materials largely due to supply issues. The national trend of housing prices coupled with the increasing price of materials are two issues that we cannot control.

What we can control is our development codes and their impact to the price of housing, along with ensuring that we provide the appropriate infrastructure and programs that will attract companies that pay good wages.

In 2022, we have budgeted for an overhaul of our entire land development code to better align it with the needs and values expressed by our community today. Furthermore, in 2017 we adopted the Catalyst Program that provides incentives for companies to move to Lawrence, or to expand their operations if they are an existing business. This program has brought millions in capital investment into our community with hundreds of jobs that pay at or above the living wage.

• What do you see as a key challenge for the city in the upcoming term, and how do you think the City Commission should address it?

There are myriad of challenges in our community. To rank one over another does not give credence to the complexities of the needs within our community. I have found that most challenges are intertwined with many issues, and decisions made must consider both the intended and unintended consequences.

While it is easy to name obvious and very real challenges such as affordable housing, jobs, policing, people without homes, finances etc., I believe we must look at the central concerns that tie them and our community together. The central theme that I hear in my everyday conversations with community members revolves around our values, our desire to ensure everybody in our community has the opportunity to thrive and not just survive, and that equity is the thread that runs through our decision- making process.

Finding the balance between these central themes is the type of challenge that I strive to consider, understand, and overcome with every decision I make as a City Commissioner.

BART LITTLEJOHN

Bart Littlejohn, 44, is the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board chair and the former chair of the Pinckney Neighborhood Association. Littlejohn has lived in Lawrence since 1995 is currently the marketing manager for Pinnacle Technology Inc. and a member of the Douglas County Community Health Plan Steering Committee. Littlejohn was previously involved in Junior Achievement and the Lawrence St. Patrick’s Day Parade Committee. Littlejohn said important issues for him are equity, particularly the ability for everyone to have a healthy and a safe place to live; housing, particularly affordability, availability and homelessness; and economic development, including for those already living here, those graduating from college, and front-line workers.

• What recommendations from the recently approved Downtown Plan do you think the City Commission should prioritize and why? Are there other changes or considerations you think are important?

I like components of the Downtown Umbrella Plan, and if pursued it will set us down a promising path for Lawrence and our economy. We should emphasize reexamining our codes and ordinances for Downtown development, making sure that we bring all parties to the table. We need to complete the downtown section of the Lawrence Loop and take a closer look at riverfront development, establish business incubator or startup spaces to support new small businesses, with a focus on women and minority entrepreneurs. We need to update the processes for opening a business, with the goal of making process more streamlined, transparent, and accessible.

Additionally, mitigating one of our food deserts by achieving a grocery store for Downtown and North Lawrence is essential, as well as considerations for a permanent spot for the Farmers Market. Last, we should continue to expand the types of celebrations and cultural events we host, while never losing our focus on affordable housing. Downtown is a place for anyone and everyone.

To be successful, we must commit to implementing these recommendations with measurable goals and making sure that our actions adhere to our sustainable policies.

• What recommendations from the recently completed police study do you think the City Commission should prioritize and why? Are there other changes or considerations you think are important?

Data-driven recommendations said that the department must have a strategic plan aligned with the city’s goals and have performance measures and accountabilities that are fully integrated. The study recommends we continue finding alternatives to use of force, especially when involving subjects in social or mental distress, and that we establish easy ways to for the community to give feedback.

The study also indicated officers should participate in more community events, so that the first time that folks meet officers it’s not one of their worst times, and establish a deeper relationship with our Community Police Review Board and underrepresented populations. Only through sustained actions can we begin to bridge the trust gaps between police and residents.

I believe that we need our police department and they want to serve well, because victims of crimes have rights and people that experience violence in our community have the right to safety. But to make that a reality, we must implement more community centric policing that has oversight, is more accountable, measured, transparent and emphasizes communication and building relationships.

We can make this happen. It will take work, flexibility, and deeper communication, but we can do this.

• What actions can the City Commission take to increase local wages or attract higher paying jobs?

Great question! First, I’m glad to see our city come out so strongly in support of our local unions and ensuring fair city employee wages. I think unions are essential to helping us make sure that employers are paying folks a livable wage. This ensures the success of our local economy. I want us to continue to ensure unions are at the forefront of thinking when it comes to development and how we make sure that we are involving our residents who contribute so much to our city.

Second, even though focusing on higher paying jobs is necessary and well warranted, I don’t want us forgetting about Lawrence residents who make lower incomes. The city has stagnated since about 2000 with wage scales for those making 20K – 65K, despite much higher housing and food prices. Workers, small businesses and our nonprofits all contribute mightily to this city and I want to continue to find ways to provide resources and support for them.

• What can the City Commission do to create more affordable housing and make the community a more affordable place to live?

Housing must be affordable, available, and accessible; that combination makes housing attainable. More housing units in town gives us the opportunity to provide for new residents, while allowing for older homes to be renovated and brought up to code. Available and affordable housing also encourages companies to hire and grow. Access to housing puts folks on a pathway to establishing generational wealth while providing community and family stability.

There are good proposals that are coming from our non-profits doing housing work, housing advisory boards, and from those who are or have experienced life without safe shelter. Recommendations include a community wide commitment to affordable housing, increasing affordable housing stock, and a reexamination of housing codes. Regarding our community commitment, I think improved collaboration with builders and developers and being thoughtful in identifying sites around the city will make a big impact.

Regarding our housing stock we should consider adding more flexibility in the development process, and not lose sight of constantly maintaining our stock of starter homes so people can grab a foothold in the process. Concerning zoning, perhaps we can find ways to make the process more efficient, expand our allowed mix of housing types to things like cottages, tiny homes, duplexes, triplexes, and new ways to build in more environmentally sustainable ways are possible.

• What do you see as a key challenge for the city in the upcoming term, and how do you think the City Commission should address it?

Figuring out how we want our city to look and function post-pandemic is the challenge. The last couple years have clearly shown that not all people have the same opportunities and I want to change that. I want to make sure that folks have access to maintain their health with access to quality foods and a safe, sustainable place to live. Supporting local workers, strengthening links between businesses and KU, Haskell, and Peaslee Tech, and addressing housing problems is how I believe we shape our post-pandemic future.

MILTON SCOTT

Milton Scott, 59, is a community volunteer and retired public housing administrator. Scott has lived in Lawrence since 1980 and formerly worked for the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority and the Kansas City, Kansas Housing Authority. He currently serves as the treasurer of the faith-based advocacy group Justice Matters and has served as the chair of the Trustees’ Ministry at the Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Church for several years, among other volunteer roles. Scott, who grew up in public housing, said important issues for him are addressing affordable housing and homelessness; high city utility rates and their impact on affordability; and infrastructure, particularly projects with high neighborhood impact.

• What recommendations from the recently approved Downtown Plan do you think the City Commission should prioritize and why? Are there other changes or considerations you think are important?

I support many of the recommendations such as maintaining the historic preservation of downtown, acquiring a permanent place for the Lawrence Farmer’s Market, the establishment of a small business development center, business incubators or popups, providing a startup program and improving police presence at peak times. Additionally, I support the strlengthening of downtown as a destination, and policies ensuring equitable participation including intentional outreach and support of BIPOC businesses. I would like to explore ways to permanently enhance the outdoors dining and shopping experiences for downtown Lawrence. However, the current plan doesn’t go far enough to address environmental sustainability, energy, and enhanced recycling efforts related to current and new development.

• What recommendations from the recently completed police study do you think the City Commission should prioritize and why? Are there other changes or considerations you think are important?

A recent report from the Law Enforcement Contact Study showed that People of Color are almost twice as likely to be searched when stopped by law enforcement in Douglas County. Another study also revealed that racial disparities in bail bonds may be further evidence of systemic racism. The data further revealed how systemic racism impacts the criminal justice system. The Police Departmental needs to engage in better transparency, which will ultimately build community trust. I support the review of policing methods and developing policies that increase community engagement including establishing community partner-based policing solutions, alternative response systems, and improving race relations and communications to remove the disconnection with racial and ethnic groups. In addition, I support efforts to strengthen the role of the Police Review Board and to give it more authority.

I also support measures of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 which prohibits federal, state, and local law enforcement from racial, religious and discriminatory profiling, mandates training on those issues, and requires law enforcement to collect data on all investigatory activities. It establishes public safety innovation grants for community-based organizations to create local commissions and task forces to help communities re-imagine and develop concrete, just, and equitable public safety approaches.

• What actions can the City Commission take to increase local wages or attract higher paying jobs?

Enhance incentives to businesses that pay a living or higher wage based on the cost of living in Lawrence. Create a marketing strategy that underscores the uniqueness of Lawrence and sets our city apart from other communities aimed specifically at business recruitment. Investment in roads and infrastructure. Focus on homegrown talent in our region – develop apprenticeships, nurture alternative education, and prepare a solid and flexible workforce that is ready to take part in a variety of careers.

• What can the City Commission do to create more affordable housing and make the community a more affordable place to live?

I believe there are opportunities for public and private partnerships to create affordable housing utilizing such programs as Section 42 Low-income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), Section 142 Tax Exempt Private Equity Bonds, Section 202 Housing for the elderly, Section 811 Housing for persons with disabilities, the Housing Trust Fund or Multifamily Tax Subsidy Project. Also, at least 15% of HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds are set aside for a specific type of private, nonprofit called Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO), which has the capacity to develop affordable housing for the community it serves. The City should encourage such public and private partnerships. In addition, the City should better educate the community on these housing program opportunities.

I also think that this is an opportunity for the City to encourage a reassessment of development site plans which encourage more affordable types of family housing, both as rentals and units for purchase, i.e., townhomes, duplexes, etc.

In addition, I know first hand how our expensive housing market and higher-than-average utility rates disproportionately affect low-to-moderate income households. These households already have so little room in their budgets that the rate increases can cause real financial hardship. Therefore, I support a freeze on city utility rate increases.

From 2015 to 2021, the typical utility bill, based on the average use of 4000 gallons of water per month, has increased from about $77 per month to about $112 per month. That equates to a 45% increase in city utility rates since 2015, or an average of about 7.5% per year.

The City’s water and wastewater fund shows an 8.7% increase in charges for services from the 2021 revised budget to the 2022 revised budget. Charges for storm water show a 2.8% increase, and solid waste an 11% increase. These increases may help the City’s budget but are unsustainable for its residents.

• What do you see as a key challenge for the city in the upcoming term, and how do you think the City Commission should address it?

In couple of years, the new City Commission will be faced with a bleak city budget and financial picture. The remediation cleanup at the former Farmland fertilization plant could cost an additional $40 million more than originally projected, which will be taken from the City’s general fund. Along with that, the city is projected to have at least a $80 million overall deficit in the two years after current federal funds which are being used to cover new budgetary initiatives have been depleted. The new City Commission must take a good hard look at what options are available to reduce the budgetary shortfall and consider the range of negative impacts it could have. The Commission will have to consider ways to minimize the pain by looking strategically at anticipated revenue and postpone expenditures that can be halted or delayed, and must avoid additional utility rate increases or potential property tax increases.

AMBER SELLERS

Amber Sellers, 40, is Human Relations Commission Chair and a member of the local League of Women Voters. Sellers, who previously lived in Lawrence for about 10 years before relocating for work, returned to Lawrence in 2019. She is currently a regulation specialist with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Bureau of Family Health, where she works on public policy affecting women and children. Sellers said important issues for her are affordable housing and the need to develop a citywide plan to address shortages; economic development and the need to retrain and reposition people in the community who can help meet employment needs; and the need to focus on what she called “human infrastructure,” such as affordable child care.

• What recommendations from the recently approved Downtown Plan do you think the City Commission should prioritize and why? Are there other changes or considerations you think are important?

Our downtown should be a celebrated destination, shared by all in our city. The Downtown Plan provides us with strategies worth prioritizing that alignment with our City’s strategic plan, which includes:

• Review of our regulatory process as it relates to the vision outlined in the Downtown Plan and identify potential conflicts between historic preservation and innovation in planning and development.

• Building a more connected city by moving forward with a feasibility study for a permanent covered farmer’s market pavilion to better support agribusiness as well as local entrepreneurs, keeping dollars circulating within the community for a longer season and allowing the space to be multifunctional and accessible to the community and local organizations for cultural events and program, such as our annual Juneteenth Celebration.

• Using sustainability measures to convert the former Journal-World printing plant into a convention center, attracting statewide and regional organizations to make our city a destination for events while reinforcing economic prosperity for our businesses downtown and the community as we whole.

While the Downtown plan did highlight unsheltered homelessness and strategies similar communities have used to undertake such a growing trend, I recognize that the scope needed for that piece of the plan was outside of the subject-matter expertise of the consulting firm.

• What recommendations from the recently completed police study do you think the City Commission should prioritize and why? Are there other changes or considerations you think are important?

Public health and safety are deeply intertwined with social justice. I commend the leadership within the Lawrence Police Department for taking the initial steps towards identifying measurable outcomes and strategies to operationalize equitable policing in practice, policy, and training as it aligns with our City’s strategic plan. I’m pleased to see transparency efforts being made to provide the community with a website to track ongoing efforts to address the recommendations for those with internet access. CityGate identified high-priority dispatch calls that center around social issues. As a result, our Police Department has requested funds to internalize a systems-based advocate position, with the goal of reducing those level of calls, from an unfilled patrol position with ongoing support from their partnership with The Willow Domestic Violence Center.

Where I have concerns that we are missing an opportunity to do more centers around the Campaign Zero “8 Can’t Wait” policy areas. While I commend the Lawrence Police Department for highlighting that we meet five of the eight policy points, I was deeply troubled by the rationale given around not adopting the model language provided by Campaign Zero around the policy on shooting in moving vehicles, banning chokeholds, and requiring a warning before shooting. While our Police Department is utilizing Lexipol LLC to create internal regulations for our law enforcement agency, these standards should not be viewed as meeting the mark, but rather creating the foundation for our Police Department to build from.

• What actions can the City Commission take to increase local wages or attract higher paying jobs?

Investing in innovation and economic development that leverages the assets of the city and our universities to attract high-paying, high-skilled innovative companies will position Lawrence for future jobs and industries that anchor us competitively in the region. Moving such initiatives forward will grow us into a community where people have a home and can work and thrive together.

The Commission must implement strategies that address economic development through a workforce lens, focusing on training, retraining, and repositioning individuals to meet immediate area employment needs. Critical to the success of this model includes leveraging short-term federal funding through the American Rescue Plan to invest within our established community partners such as the Dwayne Peaslee Technical Training Center and area workforce centers. Additionally, working with such partners as the Bioscience and Technology Business Center, our local Chamber and local business leadership through Douglas Co. CORE will spur new industry growth that generates desirable, high-paying jobs.

• What can the City Commission do to create more affordable housing and make the community a more affordable place to live?

I believe everyone should have access to safe, affordable housing – where everyone should be able to experience homeownership within their means. I also acknowledge that people I know, along with myself, struggle to find moderately priced housing on the market.

The City’s economic development goals as part of the strategic plan prioritizes the building of new housing and will compel that a certain percentage of multifamily housing be permanently affordable, within the limits of State law. I support housing incentives that spurred housing rehabilitation, mixed-income residential neighborhoods, and community partner led affordable housing developments through property purchased from the City. That means some combination of subsidized housing, creative partnerships in rental management, and economic development and workforce training that grows peoples’ ability to gain more earning power. We must move housing in a direction that we all embrace.

• What do you see as a key challenge for the city in the upcoming term, and how do you think the City Commission should address it?

The next slate of City Commissioners must meet the challenge of addressing the current reliability of our City’s internal controls system as it relates to financial reporting. The next two years presents the dilemma of addressing the impending budget cliff that may result in a combination of tax increases, assessment of utility rates, delayed capital improvement projects, and reduced public services. While federal legislation around infrastructure dollars have the potential to address budget needs around some projects, it will not solve our systems issue. In order for our City to support the mission and vision of our strategic plan of a transparent, responsible local government, we must make this challenge our priority.