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Shall the following be adopted?
Shall the City of Lawrence, Kansas, abandon the Commission-Manager form of government and adopt a Modified Mayor-Council Manager form of government and become a city operating under a Modified Mayor-Council Manager form of government?
Yes?
No?
Hello neighbors. The Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods is writing to state our position on the vote to change how our city commission is comprised as adopted by Resolution 7442.
We are opposed to this ballot question for the following reasons.
Related news article:
• What Lawrence’s ballot question on the city’s ‘form of government’ actually means, Oct. 9, 2024
To start, the wording of the ballot question is vague and creates confusion. One look at a sample ballot makes it plain to see there is plenty of space for further explanation on Resolution 7442.
Within Resolution 7442 is a change from five to six commissioners and a directly elected mayor, with four of the commissioners representing districts.
Adding districts to Lawrence will add further political divisions in our community that we do not support. Our current model allows every citizen in Lawrence to engage with every city commissioner. All five commissioners are accountable to Lawrence. We see the possibility of lower voter turnout with a district model in Lawrence as fewer elected officials would be accountable to voters, especially during the election years when a vote for mayor is not on the ballot.
The change to a directly elected mayor does not align with our city’s creation of a strategic plan built via community input. One person’s vision does not override the community’s collective work. Although some may find our annual rotation of the mayor position odd, this rotational model keeps individuals or special interest groups from becoming entrenched via board and commission appointments.
The wording of Resolution 7442 is nonbinding. A “yes” vote will allow the city commission a free hand to write the ordinance as they feel fit. There is a possibility the ordinance could have added powers beyond those listed within Resolution 7442. We do not support giving the city commission this level of authority to reform our governing structure.
The Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods membership regularly attends and participates in public meetings. We have carefully considered and discussed this change of governance vote to determine our support.
We are voting “no” on this ballot question.
We ask that you join us in voting “no.”
— Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods
Holly Joyce, chair, and Kyle Thompson, treasurer
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