Post updated at 11:33 p.m. to add recording
Lawrence City Commission candidates at a forum Wednesday said annexation is necessary to achieve affordability in the city, but they want to mitigate concerns from residential neighborhoods.
Bob Schumm, Kristine Polian, Bart Littlejohn and Mike Courtney all advanced from the Aug. 5 primary and will face off for two Lawrence City Commission seats in the Nov. 4 general election.
Former Lawrence mayors Jolene Anderson, Aron Cromwell, Dennis “Boog” Highberger and Courtney Shipley posed questions all four candidates answered.
The questions, which candidates did not see before the event, were submitted by a larger group of former Lawrence mayors and focused on finances, affordable housing, development and marginalized people.
All candidates agreed infill alone won’t allow for enough affordable homes; annexation is needed, but some offered different approaches to that.
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Courtney suggested expansion to the east, similar to west Lawrence expansion. In a question specifically about unilateral annexation, Polian said in her experience, that doesn’t work.
The new Lawrence Land Development Code, which the commission approved and went into effect on April 1, sets local government regulations that shape the city’s growth.
Schumm said more housing and density will come of the new code, but neighborhood associations have reported fears of duplexes replacing single-family dwellings as the code gives developers that leeway. Polian echoed that concern.
“They’re worried about it, and they should be,” Schumm said. “The older neighborhoods are the ones who have probably the most to gain or lose, both probably.”
Throughout the forum, Littlejohn, the sole incumbent in the race, frequently referenced the city’s current path. He said the city is doing the work to increase the stock of housing that is permanently affordable for low and middle income residents and must do more. The city has been resistant to development in the past, he said he’s witnessed, and needs to say “yes, and” to projects more often.
“This is more like the curing period,” Littlejohn said. “So this is where we’re testing it out, where we’re having developers come in and give us projects, and we’re trying to figure out exactly what works and what doesn’t. So none of this is final.”
Courtney proposed modular homes — built offsite and often cheaper — as a solution to housing unaffordability. He said he plans to announce this week his idea for 100 new homes on a 17-acre parcel in town.
Schumm said the city needs more buildable lots, and set a portion of them at a price point to achieve affordability.
Candidates were asked if the homeless solutions department, created in 2024 with a 2026 budget of around $2.5 million, has been effective. Littlejohn and Schumm said the money has been spent well.
Courtney identified the City of Lawrence, Bert Nash Community Health Center and the Lawrence Community Shelter as three entities that should handle case management, but he said the structure currently isn’t clear and no one can identify “the quarterback.” He said outdoor camping rules and responses should be unified among the city and county.
“When people want to help somebody who’s homeless and give that $1 to them — we have to have an education campaign that says you can provide that $1 but if you provide that $1 to our nonprofits, that $1 can become three that can help more than one person,” Courtney said. “And then straightening out the case management, so we know who’s the quarterback, who’s in charge, so that when somebody becomes homeless, they are able to get on their feet quicker.”
Polian said the city has been mildly successful in its homeless response work but that camp sweeps are sometimes “more inhumane than living in the streets.” She proposes the city allocate its special drug and alcohol fund to DCCCA, an agency headquartered in Lawrence.
“They’re statewide. They’re experts. And until we can get gathered, I would like to see that money go there,” Polian said.
Discussing affordability, Courtney said as a commissioner he would work to roll back on the fees for recreational facilities that the current commission voted to approve Tuesday.
Schumm, who was on the commission when it approved Sports Pavilion Lawrence with the wide public belief that free access would be maintained, said he would offer solutions to mitigate the new fees.
A second installment of the forum is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22 at Peaslee Tech, 2920 Haskell Ave. It’s free to attend, and no registration is required.
Here’s a full audio recording of the forum:
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Oct. 14 is the deadline to register to vote or update voter registration for the general election. Advance in-person voting runs from Oct. 15 to noon Nov. 3. Folks can apply for an advance ballot to vote by mail through Oct. 28.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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