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Sunday • October 13 • 2024 After last season’s disappointment, the Jayhawks are back with a new look. Get ready with our season preview, inside.
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2024 GENERAL ELECTION VOTER GUIDE
DOUGLAS COUNTY
HUNT DICKINER SON
COMMISSION Profiles by Josie Heimsoth
Lawrence residents will vote on a proposal to slice the City Commission differently & let voters directly elect a mayor.
DISTRICT 2
jheimsoth@ ljworld.com
With two new districts, Brad Chun (I) the Douglas County Commission races look different this year. Find out more about each candidate inside, Pam page 6A. McDermott (R)
Nick Krug/ Journal-World Photo
Mayor
Shannon Reid (D)
• Would be elected separately from the commission • Would only vote to break ties
DISTRICT 3
Karen Willey (D)
DAJUAN HARRIS Jr.
These slices illustrate how the City Commission would be sliced up differently under the proposed plan. Currently, the commission consists of five members elected at-large, and it chooses one of its members each year to serve as mayor.
DISTRICT 4
Districts
for city government By Bremen Keasey
• 4 members, each from a specific geographic area of the city
lll
bkeasey@ljworld.com Tim Bruce (R)
Gene Dorsey (D)
Steve Jacob (L)
DISTRICT 5
Erica Anderson (D)
Kirsten Kuhn (L)
Rich Lorenzo (R)
Atlarge
DISTRICT ATTORNEY Profiles by Kim Callahan kcallahan@ ljworld.com
Dakota Loomis (D)
• 2 members • Would not represent a specific geographic area of the city
Mike Warner (R)
Both men running for DA have been highly critical of the current DA, who was ousted in the primary. Learn more about the race inside, page 5A.
LEGISLATURE Find out who’s running for the Kansas Legislature in and around Lawrence, page 10A.
> CITY, 7A Adobe Stock Photos
Ballot question would double the sales tax rate for affordable housing & homelessness initiatives By Bremen Keasey lll
bkeasey@ljworld.com
Profiles by Chad Lawhorn clawhorn@ljworld.com
No city leaders will be on the ballot this November, but Lawrence voters will have an opportunity to change the structure of their local government to include a directly elected mayor and a City Commission that’s elected partly by geographic districts.
Voters in Lawrence are being asked to vote on a referendum that could raise the affordable housing sales tax from 0.05% to 0.10%, allowing some of the funds
to pay for services to help people experiencing homelessness. The ballot initiative was approved by the City Commission in August as part of the budget discussions for 2025, as the Journal-World reported. The sales tax increase would add an extra nickel in tax to every $100 in purchases made by consumers
in Lawrence. State law requires that all city sales tax increases be put to a citywide vote. Currently, the city has a 0.05% affordable housing sales tax that voters approved back in 2017 that helps fund programs related to affordable housing.
> TAX, 2A
Sunny | High: 73° | Low: 42° | Forecast, 8B VOL. 166 / NO. 244 / 20 PAGES
CLASSIFIED......................5B DATEBOOK.......................5B
Marci is focused on legislation to: ຉ Defend Reproductive Freedoms ຉ Enact Fair, Progressive Tax Policy ຉ Fund Public Education and SPED ຉ Pass Medicaid Expansion ຉ Protect Our Natural Resources ຉ Adopt Common Sense Gun Policies
DEATHS...........................2A HEALTH...................3A-4A
OPINION......................... 4B PUZZLES................. 6B, 7B
SPORTS............................1B TV LISTINGS............ 7B, 8B
EFFECTIVE, PROGRESSIVE LEADERSHIP MarciForSenate.com
Check your voter registration by Oct. 15 Paid for by Marci for Senate, Mike Delaney, Treasurer