Longtime Lawrence City Commissioner Lisa Larsen, leaving the dais after several years serving the city, kept her remarks brief Tuesday evening.
“I think sometimes politicians talk too much, and you’ve heard from me for 10 years,” Larsen said. “So I’m just gonna say thank you to the community and especially the staff, for their dedication and their support and their passion.”
Larsen did not run for reelection this year.
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Commissioner Bart Littlejohn, first elected in 2021, did run again but came in last place in a four-way race for two commission seats in the November election.
Littlejohn said he’d like to thank the Lawrence community.
“It is a challenging and fulfilling job, and it’s been my privilege to serve you all for four years,” he said. “As a commission, we’ve accomplished a whole heck of a lot and progressed in sustainability, economic development, housing and homelessness, and infrastructure. Hopefully some of that headway and momentum can be maintained.”
He also thanked his family and said he’s looking forward to spending more time with them and being present with them.
Mayor Mike Dever concluded his term serving as mayor. It’s a yearlong position elected by the commissioners. Traditionally, the person who receives the most votes in an election will serve as vice mayor for the first year of their term, then as mayor the following year. The candidate who received the second most votes in the election follows as the next vice mayor.
“I appreciated working beside you and dealing with the difficult things we had to deal with,” Dever told the outgoing commissioners. He’ll continue in his position as a commissioner.
Newly elected Commissioners Mike Courtney and Kristine Polian were sworn in Tuesday evening following the departure of the outgoing commissioners.
The new commission elected Brad Finkeldei — vice mayor for most of 2025 — as mayor for the remainder of this year through December 2026.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
Nathan Kramer (he/him), a multimedia student journalist for The Lawrence Times since August 2024, is a senior at Free State High School. He is also a news photo editor for Free State’s student publication, where he works as a videographer, photographer and motion designer. See more of his work for the Times here.
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