New Lawrence City Manager Tom Markus began his talk to Lawrence Central Rotary on June 17 by detailing his experience in the job. Beginning his career in 1973, he weathered 11 years in Cook County, Illinois, several years in Minnesota and, most recently, the top city job in Iowa City, Iowa.
“In Cook County, I learned how to keep a moral compass; in Minnesota, I was working in a state governed at that time by wrestler Jesse “the body” Ventura; in Iowa, I learned about life in a university town,” he said. “All these experiences have shaped me, made me more patient and calm.”
But he knows he’s going to need all his experience and patience and a calm attitude in his new job. Markus said when he came to Lawrence he had an ambitious 100-day plan. “But I didn’t realize how complex Lawrence is.”
Now he is working to balance expenses and revenues in light of the city’s potential for a $1.3 million deficit in 2017. He said some of the options are to raise revenue or cut expenses, but his preference is a middle ground of mixing and matching from both options.
“It’s close to the bone on decisions here,” he told Central Rotarians. “The city has to provide core services such as police, education. That’s essential.
“Federal and state government have shed their support for certain services which means we are going to have to handle them locally. Although,” he said “that’s not bad because the distance from services support can be too long. When it’s local, common sense can come into play.” He believes the new city commission has a good impact on budget planning.
“What I’m trying to do is figure how to settle the controversy, avoid polarization, and get to the middle,” he said.
