The unofficial results show that the City Commission race will be between progressive candidates Highberger, Schauner and Maynard-Moody and aggressive growth candidates Dever, Chestnut and Bush.
The major issues of the race will be "smart growth" versus growth without an adjective. That will translate into differences on the extension of K-10 through the Baker Wetlands, disagreements over industrial zones, and almost surely contentious debates over the domestic partnership registry.
On April 3, voters will pick three of these six candidates.
Highberger and Schauner are incumbents. Bush is a pastor at First Southern Baptist Church, and is seen as a stealth candidate on social issues. Maynard-Moony identifies herself as a Sierra Club volunteer, and is focused on attracting environmental businesses. Dever is a businessman and Chestnut is chief financial officer for Allen Press, a major academic publisher based in Lawrence. Both have campaigned on building an industrial and retail base. There is dispute over whether Lawrence has too much retail capacity as it is.
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