photo by: Contributed

Left to right: Tim Bruce, Gene Dorsey, Steve Jacob

Three candidates — a Democrat, a Libertarian and the Republican vice mayor of Eudora — will be competing for the newly created Douglas County Commission seat for District 4.

Tim Bruce, a Republican candidate, was reelected to his seat on the Eudora City Commission last year, and his term expires in January 2028. He will be running against Democrat Gene Dorsey and Libertarian Steve Jacob for the District 4 County Commission seat. District 4 includes a small portion of southeastern Lawrence, Eudora and Eudora Township, and the small portion of Wakarusa Township located between Grant Township and the eastern edge of Lawrence.

Gene Dorsey

Dorsey earned his degree in advertising from the University of Kansas and has built a career as a corporate auditor and manager of planning and financial analysis. He currently holds the positions of secretary and treasurer on the governing board of Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center.

If elected as a county commissioner, Dorsey said that when it comes to funding, he would first prioritize required funding mandated by state law, followed by funding for public safety services that benefit all of Douglas County. He added that roads, bridges and rural infrastructure were also important.

“As budget funds permit, we should fund community partners to enhance life in Douglas County,” Dorsey told the Journal-World. “All funding assumes a watchdog attitude that ensures budgets are prepared to eliminate waste and truly reflect current year needs only.”

For the expansion of the Judicial Law Enforcement Center and public safety building project, Dorsey said this project is needed as the county grows. To get people to trial quicker and prevent jail overcrowding and lengthy incarceration, you need more courtrooms and more judges, Dorsey said. Also, relocating the Emergency Services Office to a building that is more hardened in critical times of emergencies makes sense.

In regards to addressing homelessness in the county, he said the county has some responsibility for housing those with mental health conditions and those with intellectual or developmental disabilities. He said that the county is not responsible for providing affordable housing, but rather that this is a City of Lawrence issue. Dorsey added that there is currently a supply and demand imbalance that is inflating housing prices.

Dorsey expressed concerns about the recently approved solar project, noting that it seems to have overlooked the soil protection requirements outlined in Plan 2040. He also pointed out that several other plans, such as the North Lawrence drainage study, were disregarded. Dorsey believes that solar installations should be placed on marginal lands, such as rooftops, parking lots, and existing structures, and he is opposed to the idea of wind turbines in the county.

“Conservation must play a large role in our conservation efforts,” Dorsey told the Journal-World.

Steve Jacob

Jacob graduated from Lawrence High School in 1989 and has lived in the same area of Lawrence since 2001. He currently works for the City of Lawrence as a maintenance technician and has been an Uber driver since 2019. Prior to the changes to commission districts, Jacob in 2022 ran for election in District 1 against Patrick Kelly. He mentioned that during his time in the county, he has met with several people to discuss their experiences.

After reviewing the county’s budget from the past decade, he observed that the county has added a considerable number of staff, and he feels that some of these positions should be eliminated. If elected to the County Commission, Jacob stated that this would be a key area for budget cuts.

Jacob said that the Judicial Law Enforcement Center and public safety building project was too costly for the county, with an estimated price tag of around $76 million. He believes this project is a waste of money and offers little benefit to the community.

When it comes to addressing homelessness in the county, the county should be involved but not at the cost of adding more people to the unhoused population due to taxes, Jacob told the Journal-World. He said that giving vouchers to landlords would end in disaster and would result in rent control, which would take apartments off the market.

On the question of wind and solar projects in the county, Jacob said he was open to multiple forms of energy production. He noted that the nation is moving toward nuclear energy, particularly with the proposed reopening of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania to support A.I. technology and power Microsoft data centers.

“We need every possible way to power this county,” Jacob told the Journal-World. “So I am for anything that will add to the supply.”

Tim Bruce

Bruce has 27 years of experience in the commercial construction industry and currently serves as a project manager at Murray Company, where he specializes in health care construction. In his role, he oversees multimillion-dollar projects that involve intricate schedules, budgets and contracts. Additionally, Bruce has been a city commissioner in Eudora for more than nine years.

“This has given me a unique perspective of what is involved in being a public official in my local community,” Bruce told the Journal-World. “I would like to use this experience and skills to help guide Douglas County.”

Bruce said that he would prioritize funding for essential services in Douglas County, such as public safety and public works. For additional budget requests, he would assess their potential to benefit the community as a whole. When it comes to the JLEC building and the public safety building project, he said he would use his years of construction and development experience to provide support for or against what makes the most sense for the county.

Bruce emphasized that affordable housing and homelessness should be primarily addressed at the city level rather than by the county. He suggested that if cities within Douglas County require assistance, they should present a detailed plan to the county outlining their needs.

“The county government should have a role in assisting with affordable housing and homelessness, but unless a project is outside the city limits, the city governments should be addressing these issues,” Bruce told the Journal-World.

He also expressed his opposition to wind and solar farms in Douglas County, advocating that the land should remain dedicated to traditional farming. Bruce noted that the county has invested significant time and effort in preserving the rural character of Douglas County and preventing excessive urbanization. He believes that introducing renewable energy sources would not be beneficial to the residents.