Mike Amyx, Aron Cromwell, and Lance Johnson were elected to Lawrence city commission Tuesday evening.

Here’s what the elected city commissioners plan to do to help KU and the student population.

Mike Amyx

“I suppose the biggest thing is continue to work with KU on Wheels. We try to put together and coordinate a transportation system between the T system that we have here in Lawrence. I think that’s one of the biggest ways we can help. The financial assistance that we got through the sales tax bill passed back in November coupled with the stimulus funds to help us buy new buses, the work that’s being done through the joint consultant to help with bus routes now. I think that is one of the best ways we can work as a community both with KU students and the city of Lawrence and working on transportation needs for the future.”

Aron Cromwell

“Job opportunities are a huge part of it and one of the big things I’m going to be focused on right away is increasing the number of living wage jobs that we have in Lawrence. I really would love to see our KU games not be held out of town, as far as in Kansas City. Our home games being out of town, that hurts us, that’s sort of a KU issue. I’ve talked a little bit here about living conditions, rental registration. That sort of thing is an important issue as well and I want to help encourage the livability of our residences for students. I’m very much in favor of increasing bicycle friendliness of our city; we’re getting kind of mid-grade marks on that, which is better than nothing, but there’s some room that we have to go. I got around almost exclusively on a bicycle when I was at KU and I think there’s still a lot of that going on.”

Lance Johnson

“Well I think the biggest impact that I could do — and it’s something I ran my campaign on — we need to be focused on getting jobs going here in Lawrence and attracting new jobs. I think that provides more opportunities for students on either a short-term or part-time basis, to have a job to work while they’re going to school or ultimately they can graduate and be able to live here in Lawrence instead of having to move away. So that really goes back to building up a tax base through jobs, and I think with the new chancellor coming in, it presents a real opportunity for the city and KU to sit down and talk about what can the city do to help KU as well as the students and I’m open to that.”

— — Edited by Casey Miles