The chair of a task force examining Lawrence’s form of municipal government shared some context and background on the latest episode of the Lawrence Talks! podcast.
As the Times reported last week, the task force has voted to forward its recommendations on to the Lawrence City Commission. Among them: the people of Lawrence should elect six city commissioners, broken down by districts, and one at-large mayor who would serve a four-year term.
John Nalbandian, a former mayor of Lawrence and a professor emeritus of the University of Kansas School of Public Affairs and Administration, discusses some of the research he did as chair of the task force. He explains some of the task force’s reasoning behind its recommendations, and he adds some context to how the city’s current form of government functions.
Nalbandian also shares a story of how a candidate for public office knocking on his door and asking for his vote helped him realize something important.
“You can become anything you want to become,” Nalbandian says on the podcast. “Whatever your aspirations are — you can realize it in a town like Lawrence, Kansas.”
The task force’s presentation of recommendations to the Lawrence City Commission is not yet scheduled on a meeting agenda, but it will be in the near future.
Give the podcast a listen on the Lawrence Talks! website here. You can also listen and subscribe on Spotify and iTunes.
