Topeka City Council member Mike Lesser is running for re-election in District 9 for a pretty simple reason: He has more work to do. His first term, he said, was stained by the COVID-19 pandemic. “My goal is to make Topeka a better place for our families,” he said. “I want my kids to want to stay in Topeka, and the way you do that is by good jobs, supporting business and bringing quality of life activities to Topeka.” Lesser said he spent most of his life in the city and once interned for former Sen. Bob Dole. The Seaman High School and Washburn University graduate works as president of Peoples Insurance Group.