photo by: Ashley Golledge

This 2020 sign at the Carnegie Building encourages Lawrence residents to vote.

Updated at 2:48 p.m. Thursday, June 1

In the wake of several recent candidate filings, a primary election will be held for both the Lawrence City Commission and the special election for the Lawrence school board.

The filing deadline for local city and school board races was noon Thursday. The primary will take place Aug. 1, and the general election will be on Nov. 7. The cost of the primary will be split between the City of Lawrence and the Lawrence school district, according to Douglas County Clerk/County Election Officer Jamie Shew. Shew said the cost of the primary was not yet finalized, but he estimated it would be $25,000 to $30,000 per governing body.

Primaries are generally only scheduled if the number of candidates who file is more than three times the number of open seats, with the exception of the Lawrence City Commission. Lawrence has a charter ordinance that calls for a primary if the number of candidates who file is more than two times the number of open seats.

The primary for the Lawrence school board is only for the special election for a two-year term; there will not be a primary for the regular election for the four, four-year terms that expire at the end of this year. The special election is for the seat of former school board member Andrew Nussbaum. Nussbaum resigned in 2022, less than seven months after being sworn in. The school board appointed GR Gordon-Ross, a former board member who had lost a recent bid for reelection, to fill Nussbaum’s seat through the end of this year, triggering the special election as part of the November 2023 general election to determine who should hold the seat through January 2026.

The terms of Lawrence city commissioners Courtney Shipley, Amber Sellers and Brad Finkeldei are expiring this year. All three incumbents have filed for reelection.

The terms of school board President Shannon Kimball, Vice President Paula Vann, Past President Erica Hill and board member Carole Cadue-Blackwood will expire at the end of this year. Vann and Hill did not file for reelection. The Journal-World reached out to both for comment regarding their decisions and will update this report with any response.

See below for some information about each Douglas County race and a listing of the candidates. The Journal-World is in the process of completing interviews with all of the Lawrence City Commission and Lawrence school board candidates, and those that have been completed are linked below. Candidates are listed in the order in which they filed. The Douglas County elections office is waiting on an update on the filings for the Perry-Lecompton school board race (candidates file in Jefferson County), and the candidate list may still be updated.

Lawrence City Commission: Three open seats, primary triggered with seventh candidate

• Amber Sellers (incumbent)

• Dustin Stumblingbear

• Mike Dever

• Brad Finkeldei (incumbent)

• Courtney Shipley (incumbent)

• Justine O. Burton

• Joshua Olafson

• Chris Flowers

Lawrence school board: Four open seats, primary triggered with 13th candidate

• Rachel Stumblingbear

• Anne Costello

• Yolanda Franklin

• Carole Cadue-Blackwood (incumbent)

• Kevin Coronado

• Ariel Miner

• Edward (E.J.) Gonzales

• Brandon Moore

• Jody Meyer

• GR Gordon-Ross

Lawrence school board special election (two-year term): One open seat, primary triggered with fourth candidate

• Justine O. Burton

• Tierra Teske

• Ariel Miner

• Shannon Kimball

Baldwin City Council: Three open seats

• Julie Constantinescu (incumbent)

• Scott Lauridsen (incumbent)

• Corissa Enneking

• Cory Venable (incumbent)

Eudora City Commission: Three open seats

• Alex Curnes (incumbent)

• Brian Landon

• Roberta Lehmann (incumbent)

• Timothy L. Bruce (incumbent)

• James Kerby

Lecompton City Council: Two open seats

• Owen Mallonee (incumbent)

Lecompton mayor: One open seat

• Jimmy Wilkins (incumbent)

Baldwin City school board, district 1: One open seat

• Jamie Cox

• Michael T. Kennedy

Baldwin City school board, district 2: One open seat

• Ken Snyder

• Jamin Perry

• Mindy King

Baldwin City school board, district 3: One open seat

• Buck Bradley

• Lacy Kellerman

Baldwin City school board, at-large: One open seat

• Chad Brecheisen

• Bradley K. Peterson

Eudora school board: Four open seats

• Claire Harding (incumbent)

• Lynn Reazin (incumbent)

• Becky Plate (incumbent)

• Mark Chrislip (incumbent)

• Kelley Woods

• Zachariah N. Brooks

Perry Lecompton school board (candidates file in Jefferson County), position 1: One open seat

• Jarae D Essman (incumbent)

Perry Lecompton school board (candidates file in Jefferson County), position 2: One open seat

• Jackalynn Aldrich (incumbent)

Perry Lecompton school board (candidates file in Jefferson County), position 3: One open seat

• Emily Riner (incumbent)

Perry Lecompton school board (candidates file in Jefferson County), position at-large: One open seat

• Gretchen Reed