Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday decided not to put a question on voters’ November ballots asking if they want to directly elect a mayor. The question was about potential changes to the city’s form of government. A task force suggested that rather than the current five commissioners who are elected at large — meaning by voters across the whole city, rather than by districts — the city should have six council members who each represent a district of Lawrence, plus a directly elected mayor. Commissioners decided last week that they did not want to include the question of districts on ballots. Currently, the mayor and vice mayor positions rotate every year to the commissioners who receive the most votes in elections. A modification of the task force’s recommended change — if commissioners had put it on the ballot, and if voters had approved — would have led to four-year terms for four commissioners and one mayor elected by voters.
Source: The Lawrence Times
