photo by: Bremen Keasey/Journal-World

Lawrence's City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St., as seen on Monday, April 6, 2026.

Five finalists for Lawrence’s next city manager will be visiting the city in two weeks for interviews and a meet-and-greet with the public, Mayor Brad Finkeldei said on Tuesday.

Finkeldei said the finalists would be in town on May 20 and 21. On the evening of Wednesday, May 20, Finkeldei said the finalists would be taking part in a meet-and-greet with the public, and on Thursday, May 21, the Lawrence City Commission will be meeting in executive session to interview them. Then, on Friday, May 22, the commission plans to meet one more time to make its final hiring decision.

As the Journal-World reported, the City Commission has been narrowing down a pool of 60 applicants over the past month to replace former City Manager Craig Owens, whose last day at work was last week. Assistant City Manager Casey Toomay is serving as acting city manager until the hire is made.