photo by: Contributed

Kristine Polian

A former administrator with the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority has filed to enter the race for the Lawrence City Commission.

Kristine Polian announced her campaign in a press release Wednesday evening. Polian was the chief financial officer for LDCHA and touted a career in public service that spans nearly 25 years and has included stops in large and small communities in California, Texas and Kansas.

Polian, who currently serves as a local government consultant and graduated from the University of Kansas, said her extensive knowledge of local government management sets her apart from other candidates.

“I’ve spent my career building strong, transparent, and responsive local government systems,” Polian said. “Now, I want to bring that same commitment to accountability, service, and smart growth to the Lawrence City Commission.”

Polian said working with the LDCHA helped her gain a “strong understanding of the affordable housing needs” in the community, and that is one of the priorities in her campaign. She added her platform will also focus on fiscal transparency, infrastructure planning and strong community services.

Polian will be seeking one of two at-large seats on the five-member commission.

The other candidates for City Commission are Paul Buskirk, Michael Courtney, Eric Hyde, Alex Kerr, Steve Jacob, Ruby Mae Johnson, Amanda Nielsen, Sean Noble, Bob Schumm, Peter Shenouda and Courtney Shipley, plus current City Commissioner Bart Littlejohn, who is seeking reelection. Commissioner Lisa Larsen, who holds the other seat with a term that is expiring, has not yet announced whether she plans to run. The deadline to file is June 2.

A primary for the City Commission race will take place on Aug. 5, after which the top four vote winners will move on to the general election on Nov. 4.