University Daily Kansan / Monday, February 27, 1989
11
City Commission Candidate Profiles
Profiles by Carrie Harper • Photos by Andrew Morrison
Jeff Arensberg
Jeff Arensberg, 26, has been a downtown businessman and partowner of Arensberg Shoes for 10 years, and he has lived in Lawrence all of his life. He graduated from the University of Kansas in 1984 with
degrees in personnel administration and communications. Although he has the right to public office, he said he thought it was important to manage the decisions made
in Lawrence to ensure that the city remained one of the unique communities in the nation. Arensberg said he wanted to be part of that decision-making process. Arensberg is the chairman of the Downtown Awareness Committee and a member of the Lawn Chamber of Commerce. He is also an American Cancer Society board member and a member of the St Lawrence Catholic Center. Arensberg filed his candidacy by petition.
John Barbian
John Barbian, 23, said he thought he could bring principles of good city management to the Lawrence City School system served in public office. Currently a
KU law student, Barbian has
KU law student worked on city staff for three years. He received bachelor's degrees in political science and philosophy from the University of Illinois in 1987. Barbian serves as the
chief justice for the KU Parking Court of Appeals. Barbian and his wife, Donna, have lived in Lawrence since August 1987. Barbian paid the $10 filing fee to register his candidacy.
Dennis Constance
Dennis Constance, 40, is the only incumbent and said he wanted to continue his work on the commission. He said he thought that although he had been effective in some areas, more work needed to be
stance, who sees "Lawrence as home first," has I lawrence for 21 years with his wife, Virginia, and their two sons. Constance is a residence
hall manager for the KU student housing system, and he received a bachelor's degree in psychology
in 1974. He said he did not have a lot of extra time for organizations because of his commission filled by the Commission filed his candidacy by petition.
Ken Dziewulski, 41, said he chose to return to Lawrence when he retired from the U.S. Air Force because he wanted to help Lawrence grow. Dziiewulski now works as an admissions representative at Saint
Ken Dziewulski
Mary College in Leavenworth.
He received a bachelor's degree in person- admission from California State University at Sacramento and master's
in human relations from Webster College in St. Louis. Dziewulski has never served in public office, but he has volunteered in Douglas County. Dziewulski is divorced and two of his three sons live with him in Lawrence. Dziewulski paid the $10 filing fee to register his candidacy.
Marci Francisco, 38, a former city commissioner and mayor, said she was urged to run for commission again based on her previous record and her continued activities. Francisco has lived in Lawrence for
Marci Francisco
16 years and is the assistant director of facilities planning at the University of Kansas. She was a graduate of KU in 1973 with a bachelor's degree in environmental
design, and she received a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1977. Francisco is a member of the League of Women voters, the Lawrence Preservation Alliance and the Oread Neighborhood Association. She is also a member of the Main Street Design Committee, the Kansas Grassroots Art Association and the Lawrence Bicycle Club. Francisco filed her candidacy by petition.
Tom Graves
Tom Graves, 34, said he wanted to run for city commission because the commission had become a group of people who did not pay enough attention to the citizens of Lawrence, Graves, who owns Kwal-
ity Comics in d owntown Lawrence, has lived in y ears. He met received a bachelor's degree in ling- uistics from 1981. Graves in 1981.
serves as a volunteer mentor for the
City Commission candidates' stances on the issues
| | Do you support the construction of the South Lawrence Trafficway if the final environmental analysis is approved? | Do you support a public vote on the trafficway? | Do you support mandatory funding of the Business Improvement District by downtown merchants? | Do you support the construction of a suburban mail? | What action do parking problems, Neighborhood? How required for every bedroom. |
| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Jeff Arensberg | YES | NO | Said he supported it in the beginning, but if a compromise could not be reached, he would not support it. | NO | He supported the recent decision of that increased the parking requirements each bedroom in apartments with two or more. He would look into any other suggestions about in Oread or any other neighborhood. |
| John Barblan | YES | NO | Said he did not think merchants needed to pay for an association that served for nothing other than discouraging them from staying downtown. | NO | The only way to alleviate parking is to restrict residential density through zoning. He said 1 1/2 parking spaces for the first bedroom and one space for each subsequent bedroom in each apartment would be acceptable. The spaces should then be added for the entire structure, not just the apartment. |
| Dennis Constance | NO | YES | Said he had supported it to date, but said the BID needed to prove that it was beneficial before he would support it again. | NO | He supported the commission's recent decision. He said that the parking that problem anticipl Or. |
| Ken Dzlewulski | NO | YES | Said the BID was a form of taxation that discouraged downtown enterprise. | NO | The University or decision-making process. Unfortunally, who will end up paying for it through higher rents. |
| Marci Francisco | NO | YES | Said the BID was enacted as part of the Kansas Main Street program and said she supported it because a majority of the business owners signed the original petition. She would favor a review of the assessments and the budget. | NO | She would support a permit parking system in Oread and other neighborhoods that requested it that would restrict parking without a permit before 10 a.m. This would limit the commuter parking and still give residents flexibility to have friends stop by. She said one parking space for each bedroom was appropriate. |
| Tom Graves | NO RESPONSE | YES | Said he did not support the BID because it was legalized extortion in his opinion. | YES | Although certain areas need more parking, the city should not force property owners to provide more parking. New structures should be required to provide more parking. |
| Stan Harris | YES | YES | Said he would support another year of the BID if he showed better understanding and support by downtown merchants. | NO | The code should be changed to increase the required parking spaces and the on-site parking. He would consider recommendations for the exact number of spaces for each bedroom. |
| Ellis Hayden | YES | NO | Said he did not support the BID. Just as Kansas has a right to work law, it will sooner or later have a right to business law without requiring merchants to join an organization. | YES | Said he did not think the parking problem would ever be resolved. He said there were problems when he was a child, there are problems now, and there would always be problems. |
| George Heckman | YES | NO | Said the BID was a reasonable mechanism to support the coordination of downtown activities, but it must be supported by downtown commercial interests. A secret ballot seems appropriate to decide whether downtown interests are willing to support it. | NO | The city's recent decision was a step in the right direction, but the city and the University should work together to establish a program that would alleviate the obvious parking problem. |
| Kristi Lewis | NO | YES | Said the BID should have been put to a vote at the outset but because it is law and has withstood challenges, the businesses should pay the assessments. She would like to see a vote before the next year was approved. | NO | She said she thought Or more off-street parking she reasons. She would work multi-duplexes were not perished. |
| Shirley Martin-Smith | YES | NO | Said she supported the BID concept but it would need to be replaced if it could not be accepted by a greater number of people. | NO | The commission's recent deoio effectiveness. She said the problem completely resolved. |
| David Penny | YES | NO | Said he did not support the BID because the city was not in the retailing business. | UNDECIDED | He said he thought it was a University, a housing or zoning problem. He would new structures to provide off-street parking. |
| Terry Summers | YES | YES | Said he did not support the BID and would like to see a secret vote of the people involved. | YES | The circumstances of each application must be because a straight formula would not work. He support the principle of requiring more parking in neighborhoods, not just Oread. |
| Bob Walters | YES | NO | Said the BID had merit, but he could not support it unless compromises were made to solve problems. | NO | The commission must also work to understand the property owners using common sense. He would supply some increase in parking provisions but the problem was not restricted to Oread. |
| LeRoy Young | NO | YES | Said he did not support the BID in any way. | YES | Said he did not see a relief to the parking problem in sight. He said it was not all the city's or the University's responsibility. |
Bert Nash Transitions Program, and he said he would devote as much time as it would take to the commission to fill the fee to register his candidacy.
Stan Harris
Stan Harris, 63, was born in Lawrence and returned from Wilmington, Del., in 1885 after retiring from Hercules Inc. He said his 33 years of management experience would enable him to help Lawrence
Stephen Kline/KANSAN
received a bachelor's degree in business management from Utah University. He said he never had time to hold public office before, but because he had retired, he would be unable to hold public commission. Harris and his wife, Shirley, have four children, one of whom was killed in Vietnam, and six grandchildren. Harris filed his candidacy by petition.
Ellis Hayden
George Heckman, 37, said that serving on the commission would be a natural extension of his involvement in different kinds of community service. A resident in Douglas County for 12 years, Heckman is the
Elliay Hayden, 65, said he wanted to represent the diversity of Lawrence on the city commission. He has not served in public office before, but he ran for city commission in 1987. He operated a coin shop in Quantrill's
Naval Program during World War II and is an overseason veteran. He is a member of the American Legion, the Chamber of Commerce and the National Rifle Association. He is also a member of the Lawrence Coin Club and a retired member of the Baker's Union. Hayden and his wife, Mary, have three children, one of whom is deceased, and five grandchildren. Hayden filed his candidacy by petition.
Flea Market, but closed it because of the Business Improvement District Hayward. i e d i e n Lawrence for 52 years, is a graduate of the KU
George Heckman
assistant director of DCCA, a Lawrence-based law firm that helps drug abuse He is a member of several associations relating to alcohol and drug abuse counsel
ing, as well as being a member of the Lawrence Preservation Task Force. He also has served as chairman of the Community Development Council and a member of the Old West Lawrence Neighborhood Association. He participated in the Leadership Lawrence program. Heckman received a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in social welfare from University of Wisconsin. His wife, Iris, have three children. Heckman filed his candidacy by petition.
Kristi Lewis
Kristi Lewis, 33, said there needed to be a re-emphasis on elected officials as public servants. She said she had never served as a public official, but political service ran in her family. She is a research associ-
many of her friends and clients at
law degree from KU. She is member of the American Agricultural Law Association, the Kansas Farm Bureau, Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Federation. She is also a member of the steering committee to form a Big Brothers-Big Sisters program in Lawrence. Lewis paid the $10 filing fee to register her candidacy.
Shirley Martin-Smith
Shirley Martin-Smith, 42, said Lawrence had an obligation to its children and future residents to help them grow in job opportunities. She said
Martin-Smith Personnel Services urged her to run for commission because of her ability to listen to and understand the needs of our community Martin-Smith community Martin-Smith.
David Penny
who has lived in Lawrence for 12 years, has not served in public office before, but she was the chairman of the 1987-88 United Way campaign in Lawrence. She currently serves as vice president for United Way of Douglas County and is chairman of the Board of Trustees of Leadership Kansas. Martin-Smith and her husband, Robin, have three children. Martin-Smith filed her candidacy by petition.
Lawrence and has lived in Lawrence for the past 13 years with his wife, Carmen, and their three chile engineers mechanical engineering degree from
Daven Penny, 44, said he thought the present commission procrastinated too much and it did not have a positive attitude toward present and prospective industries. Penny, who owns Kaw Sand Co., was born in
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a four-year degree from the Dallas Theological Seminary. Penny is a member of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce and the Kansas Agritec Producer Association. He also attends the Lawrence University and has played he to foreign students through the KU Host Family program. Penny has never served in public office. He paid the $10 fee filing to register his candidacy.
computer pro
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Terry Summers
Terry Summers, 46, said he could be a full-time commissioner because of his disability. He said he would like to see Lawrence overcome some of its dichotomies. Summers, who has training in technical writing and
Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods. He also has served on the Natural Gas Task Force, the Community Development Block Grant Advisory Board and the Lawrence Downtown Improvement Committee. He was a member of Lawrence for 22 years, and his wife, Ellen, have two sons. Summers paid the filing fee and submitted a petition to register his candidacy.
Bob Walters
Bow Walters, 51, said as a lifelong resident of Lawrence he thought he could make a contribution to the city through the public service of the city commission. He is the manager of research facilities for the University's Space Technology Center,
and he is secretary-at Ethan A.
Hawkins and Storage. Walters has a bachelor's and a master's degree in geology from
KU. He is president of the Lawrence Motor Carriers Association and a member of the Kansas Motor Carriers Association. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce as well as the Rotary Club and the Breakfast Cosmopolitan Club. Walters and his wife, Anne, have three children. Walters filed his candidacy by petition.
LeRoy Young
LeRoy Young, 33, said he did not have a lot of organizational ties that could cause problems for him as a commissioner. He has lived in Lawrence for two years and said he thought he could provide a fresh
approach to city government Young said he did not believe the current system was firm taxpayers, and he thought more issues needed to be a nuth
ic vote. He attended Fort Hays State University and Garden City Community College. Young and his wife, Brenda, have one daughter. He paid the $10 filing fee to register his candidacy.