Friday, March 16, 2007
With a cigarette in his hand, hair dangling down near his eyes, and wearing a North Face jacket, jeans and cowboy boots, Jake Davis does not look like a politician.
He doesn’t sound like one, either, when he speaks frankly about how he thinks the city views University students.
“People hate the students more and more,” Davis said. “They don’t like them being around.”
pullquote
There’s already a Johnson County, and there’s no reason to give up what makes Lawrence different
-Jake Davis
But Davis, a 28-year-old Lawrence singer-songwriter, was a candidate for the city commission until he was eliminated in the primary Feb. 28. He received 2.1 percent of the vote..
Davis came to Lawrence to become a University student in 1996. A National Merit Scholar, he originally majored in chemical engineering but became bored with the subject. He bounced around between different majors until he stopped taking classes in 2004.
“I just wasn’t a big homework guy,” he said.
Now, he’s completing prerequisites at Johnson County Community College, and he said he planned to return to the University as soon as this fall to finish a degree in economics. He also works full-time in data entry at Pearson Government Solutions, 3833 Greenway Dr.
Davis said he was concerned that Lawrence had little respect for young people and students, partly because he thought the city was trying to cater to businesses and suburban families in an attempt to emulate Johnson County.
“Johnson County’s fine. I’ve spent a lot of time in Johnson County,” Davis said. “But there’s already a Johnson County, and there’s no reason to give up what makes Lawrence different.”
Davis pointed to a city ordinance that prohibited more than three unrelated people from living together in certain areas of the city as an example of the city’s preference for families rather than students.
He said his main platform was to use environmentally friendly policies to attract businesses that would offer good jobs for students after they graduate. He said the presence of large retail stores didn’t help the city as much as businesses in the science and technology industries would.
“Everything I was trying to do was just trying to raise the image of Lawrence, to make it look attractive to the rest of the world,” Davis said. “Downtown makes us attractive. Kohl’s does not. I don’t think anyone’s going to move a business here because some strip mall out on Wakarusa is a really nice strip mall.”
Davis said he decided to run just a few days before the application deadline, leaving him with little time to raise money. His only campaign expense: fliers he copied for $8.
Meanwhile, the top two finishers in the primary have raised more than $20,000 in campaign funds. All six candidates who survived the primary have accumulated at least $5,000. The general election will take place April 3.
Dennis “Boog” Highberger, city commissioner, said Davis had some great ideas but he lacked the name recognition and financial support necessary to mount a successful campaign.
“I think you have to have a lot of personal connections all across the community, and you have to motivate other people to help with your campaign,” Highberger said.
Davis plans to remain involved in local government. He attended last week’s city commission meeting to speak against a tax abatement for a local business expansion.
“If there’s something that I think matters at all, I’ll be down there,” he said.
Kansan staff writer Matt Erickson can be contacted at merickson@kansan.com.
— Edited by Will McCullough
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