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Quinton Lucas

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Quinton Lucas
Lucas in 2021
55th Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri
Incumbent
Assumed office
August 1, 2019 (2019-08-01)
Preceded bySly James
Personal details
Born (1984-08-19) August 19, 1984 (age 40)
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationWashington University (BA)
Cornell University (JD)

Quinton Donald Lucas (born August 19, 1984)[1] is an American politician serving as the 55th mayor of Kansas City, Missouri. He was elected in 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the city's third African-American mayor. Before his election, Lucas was a private practice lawyer, community leader, city council member, and a lecturer on law at Washington University School of Law. He was also a volunteer instructor at prisons in New York and Kansas, where he taught courses on constitutional law.[2]

Early life and education

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Lucas was born in Kansas City, Missouri, to Quincy Bennett Johnson, a single mother. He grew up in Kansas City's low-income East Side and never met his father.[3] Johnson said that "[Lucas] saw we were struggling ... One time we lived in a hotel, and it was horrible. Quinton would go in the bathroom to study."[1][4]

Lucas was given a scholarship to attend The Barstow School, a prestigious private school. He was elected student body president twice. Lucas said the disparity between his ambitions and social background fostered a conflict of identity. He was reluctant to leave Kansas City upon graduation and, following his college counselor's advice, attended Washington University in St. Louis.[5]

Lucas majored in political science at Washington University and studied in South Africa.[6] Living in Cape Town, he observed the political and cultural legacy of apartheid, which he said influenced his perception of the inequalities experienced by Black people in the United States.[5]

Lucas attended law school at Cornell, encouraged by a professor to assist in Curtis Osborne's appeal for clemency. Though the appeal failed, Lucas found the legal experience to be transformative.[7]

Lucas joined the University of Kansas Faculty of Law in 2012 where he taught administrative law, contract law, and securities regulation.[2]

Early political career

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In 2015, Lucas ran for a city council seat in the Third District at Large. His campaign advocated for the selling of Kemper Arena instead of costly demolition, and supported public transit with future and current rail systems.[8] He won with more than 70% of the vote.[9] He said the city's greatest challenge was bridging the cultural and socioeconomic gaps between the eastern and western sides: "How do we get people from jobs in my part of the city, the east side of Kansas City, off into other parts of the city or even to Kansas?"[10]

In 2016, Lucas voted for a blight designation in the southern part of the city to allow for 80 million dollars in investment. The 80 million dollars is to be used to build residential units and commercial spaces. Critics say that the city has incentivized too many developments in prosperous areas and has failed to do so in poorer community areas.[11]

His primary focus in city council became housing policy. He advocated both the development of new housing supply and the renovation of existing properties.[12] He was decisive in shaping a 2018 ordinance that reduced the city's definition of affordable rent as up to $1,100 per month, which is 30% of the city's median income.[13] Lucas told the Kansas City Business Journal that "$1,000 a month is still pretty high for a lot of people, but what we're trying to do is say that we will not give incentives based on affordability standards for units that are north of that figure."[14]

During discussions surrounding the finance and development of renovating the Kansas City International Airport in August 2017, Lucas advocated for transparent municipal decision-making by calling for fewer closed Council sessions. He told The Kansas City Star, "I think the spirit of the Sunshine Law is not for council to deliberate on myriad issues on public policy in secret."[15]

Mayor of Kansas City

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Lucas speaking with FAA Administrator Steve Dickson
Lucas (left) with President Joe Biden, Governor Mike Parson, and Representatives Emanuel Cleaver and Sharice Davids in 2021

In the 2019 Kansas City mayoral election, 11 candidates ran to replace term-limited incumbent Sly James.[16] The field later narrowed to Lucas and fellow city council member Jolie Justus. Lucas won with approximately 59% of the vote.[17]

In late August 2020, a group of citizens criticized Lucas's COVID-19 pandemic mask regulations as harmful to small businesses[18] and ran a failed petition to remove him from office.[19]

In June 2021, Lucas co-founded a coalition of 11 mayors, called Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE), which aims to create pilot programs that address reparations for slavery in the United States.[20][21]

Lucas is a member of the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners .[22] Two gun ordinances have been passed since he has been a board member. The first ordinance makes it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to be in possession of a handgun or ammunition and gives police greater authority to confiscate illegal weapons. The second ordinance makes it illegal to sell or give a gun to a minor without the consent of a parent or for military service. If ordinances are violated, the violator faces jail time, a fine, or is directed to a diversion program.[23]

Lucas was re-elected mayor of Kansas City in 2023, winning 80.5% of the vote.[24]

Personal life

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Lucas is a lifelong fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, reportedly taking detailed notes on the performances of Kansas City sports teams.[25]

He married his longtime girlfriend Katherine Carttar on April 9, 2021. Carttar, though married to Lucas, was the Director of Economic Development in Kansas City, Kansas, (2018-2022) which is an adjacent city and state to Lucas' jurisdiction. [26] That month, their son, Bennett, was born.[27] They welcomed a second son, Quinton Carttar, in June of 2024.[28]

They live in the historic Coleman Highlands district in Midtown Kansas City.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Quinton Lucas looks like the most promising East Side candidate for City Council in two decades". Thepitchkc.com. Retrieved November 1, 2018.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ a b "Quinton D. Lucas". School of Law. July 16, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  3. ^ Henneberger, Melinda (February 6, 2019). "From homeless to Ivy League to mayoral candidate, Quinton Lucas has 'always been like that'". The Kansas City Star.
  4. ^ "Steve Kraske: Remember the name Quinton Lucas, a politician of startling potential". Kansascity.com. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Quinton D. Lucas '09 Success Story". Lawschool.cornell.edu. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  6. ^ "Awards Season: KC Councilman Quinton Lucas Underscores Library's Value to Community". Kansas City Public Library. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  7. ^ "Quinton Lucas looks like the most promising East Side candidate for City Council in two decades". Kansas City Pitch. June 3, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  8. ^ "Law professor, former congressional hopeful running for open seat." Lynn Horsley. Kansas City Star, 17 June 2015. Accessed 8 Dec. 2022."
  9. ^ "Sly James coasts to victory as KC mayor in near record low voter turnout". Kansascity.com. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  10. ^ Rodriguez, Lisa. "City Council Newcomers On The Biggest Challenges Facing Kansas City". Kcur.org. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  11. ^ "Blight designation gives project a boost." Lynn Horsley. The Kansas City Star, Missouri. April 29, 2016. Accessed December 8, 2022.
  12. ^ "City Councilman Quinton Lucas talks about housing in Kansas City". Kansascity.com. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  13. ^ "KC's vision of 'affordable' rent may give you sticker shock". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  14. ^ "KCMO.gov » About Councilman Lucas". Kcmo.gov. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  15. ^ Steve Vockrodt (August 6, 2017). "KC mayor threatens council members with ethics complaints for leaks". The Kansas City Star. ISSN 0745-1067. Wikidata Q96112965..
  16. ^ Rodriguez, Lisa (January 16, 2019). "Here's Who's Running For Mayor Of Kansas City, Missouri". KCUR.
  17. ^ "Check election results here: Kansas City votes for new mayor, city council members". June 18, 2019. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  18. ^ Dodge, Abby; Holmes, Maggie (August 27, 2020). "'Group of Kansas Citians Launch Petition for Mayor Lucas to Resign'". kctv5.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  19. ^ Cortlynn Stark; Allison Kite (September 17, 2020). "With 30 days to get 13,713 signatures, effort to recall Kansas City mayor falls short". The Kansas City Star. ISSN 0745-1067. Wikidata Q104666631..
  20. ^ "11 U.S. Mayors Commit To Developing Pilot Projects For Reparations," Associated Press (June 18, 2021)
  21. ^ Martin, Jacob. "Mayor Lucas discusses national coalition for achieving reparations and when KC might see results," The Pitch (June 25, 2021).
  22. ^ "Public Safety | KCMO.gov - City of Kansas City, MO". www.kcmo.gov. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  23. ^ Betts, Jordan (August 28, 2019). "Kansas City Council to Consider Ordinances Banning Minors from Having Guns". KSHB.
  24. ^ "Mayoral election in Kansas City, Missouri (2023)".
  25. ^ Shpigel, Ben (October 14, 2018). "'He's Ours. Patrick Mahomes Is Ours.'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  26. ^ Mahoney, Micheal (April 19, 2021). "Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas marries longtime girlfriend in civil ceremony". KMBC. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  27. ^ "Mayor Quinton Lucas marries longtime girlfriend, welcomes baby, surprising Kansas City". FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports. April 19, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  28. ^ "Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas, wife welcome 2nd son". KSHB 41 Kansas City News. June 19, 2024. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
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Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Kansas City
2019–present 		Incumbent
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