Lawrence city manager finalists to visit, final decision set for May 22

Lawrence is about to put five finalists for city manager in front of the public, then hand the job of steering City Hall’s biggest challenges to one of them within days.

Mayor Brad Finkeldei said the finalists will visit Lawrence on May 20 and May 21 for interviews and a public meet-and-greet, with the community event set for the evening of Wednesday, May 20. The Lawrence City Commission then plans to meet in executive session on Thursday, May 21, before making a final hiring decision on May 22.

The search drew 60 applicants from 23 states, a reminder that the opening reached far beyond Douglas County and into a national pool. For Lawrence, the choice lands at a moment when residents are watching how the city handles budget pressure, staffing gaps and major policy decisions that shape daily life.

The next city manager will inherit those demands almost immediately. Lawrence’s commission-manager form of government puts the city manager in charge of day-to-day operations, while the elected commission sets policy and makes the hire. That means the person selected this month will help guide decisions on budget planning, public safety, service cuts, capital needs and the ongoing argument over how Lawrence should grow and pay for the services that growth requires.

The transition is already underway. Craig Owens, who was hired in 2019 after Tom Markus retired, said in November 2025 that he would leave in May 2026. Owens used the rest of his leave starting May 1, and Assistant City Manager Casey Toomay began serving as acting city manager that day. It will be only the second city manager change in roughly seven years, a relatively short stretch for a job that sits at the center of Lawrence government.

The public meeting for finalists could again become a focal point for residents who want to see how the candidates handle Lawrence’s most persistent concerns, not just how they manage an organization. In 2019, the finalists’ public meeting at the Carnegie Building drew a full crowd and a wide range of questions, from economic incentives to the city’s role in arts and culture.

This time, the questions are likely to be even broader: who can steady the budget, keep core services moving and rebuild confidence in City Hall while Lawrence decides what kind of city it wants to become next.