The Lawrence City Commission is headed for an Aug. 3 primary election after nine candidates filed to run for the three seats up for election this November.
The candidates who have filed are: Stuart Boley, Chris Flowers, Ma’Ko’Quah Jones, Lisa Larsen, Bart Littlejohn, Shawn Pearson, Milton Scott, Amber Sellers and Gillian Rogers Shaw. According to the Lawrence city charter, a primary election is necessary to narrow the field when seven or more people file their candidacy in a given election cycle.
The top six finishers in the primary will go on to the general election in November. The top two vote-getters in the November election win four-year terms and the third place finisher wins a two-year term.
Boley and Larsen are incumbent commissioners seeking reelection. Boley has served on the city commission since 2015, and Larsen was appointed to the five-member commission in 2015 and then elected in 2017.
The Lawrence City Commission consists of five commissioners elected at large to represent the entire city. Every two years, three of the commissioners are up for election. There are no term limits. The third seat up for grabs in this year’s election is that of commissioner Jennifer Ananda, who announced last month that she would not seek another term on the city commission. Current Mayor Brad Finkeldei and Vice Mayor Courtney Shipley’s terms run through 2023.
Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew said Tuesday that although the field appears large enough to trigger a primary election, candidate lists are not official until three days after the filing deadline.
— Note: This article has been corrected to include a candidate who was omitted.
