Quinton Lucas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Quinton Lucas
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Lucas in 2021
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| 55th Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri | |
| Assumed office August 1, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Sly James |
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| Born | August 19, 1984 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Washington University (BA) Cornell University (JD) |
Quinton Donald Lucas was born on August 19, 1984. He is an American politician. In 2019, he was elected as the 55th mayor of Kansas City, Missouri. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is the third African-American mayor of the city. Before becoming mayor, Lucas worked as a lawyer. He was also a city council member. He taught law at Washington University School of Law. He even taught classes on law to people in prisons.
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Early Life and School
Quinton Lucas was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He was raised by his mom, who was a single mother. He grew up in a less wealthy part of Kansas City called the East Side. He never met his father. His mom shared that Quinton saw their family was struggling. She said, "One time we lived in a hotel, and it was horrible. Quinton would go in the bathroom to study."
Lucas received a scholarship to attend The Barstow School. This was a well-known private school. He was chosen as student body president twice. He said that the difference between his dreams and his background made him feel a bit different. He did not want to leave Kansas City after high school. But his school counselor suggested he go to Washington University in St. Louis.
At Washington University, Lucas studied how governments work. He also studied in South Africa. While living in Cape Town, he saw the lasting effects of apartheid. This was a system of unfair separation. He said this experience helped him understand unfairness Black people faced in the United States.
Lucas later went to Cornell Law School. A professor encouraged him to help with a legal case. Even though the case did not win, Lucas found the experience very important. In 2012, Lucas joined the University of Kansas Faculty of Law. There, he taught different types of law.
Career in Politics
Becoming a City Council Member
In 2015, Lucas ran for a seat on the city council. He wanted to represent the Third District. His campaign suggested selling Kemper Arena instead of spending a lot of money to tear it down. He also supported public transportation, like train systems. He won the election with more than 70% of the votes.
Lucas said the biggest challenge for the city was connecting the eastern and western sides. These sides had different cultures and wealth levels. He asked, "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?"
His main focus on the city council became housing. He wanted to build new homes and fix up old ones. He helped create a rule in 2018. This rule changed what the city called "affordable rent." It lowered the amount to about $1,100 per month. This was 30% of the city's average income. Lucas explained that they wanted to make sure incentives were not given for homes that cost more than that amount.
In 2017, there were talks about fixing up the Kansas City International Airport. Lucas wanted city decisions to be open to the public. He asked for fewer secret council meetings. He said, "I think the spirit of the Sunshine Law is not for council to deliberate on myriad issues on public policy in secret."
Mayor of Kansas City
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In the 2019 Kansas City mayoral election, 11 people ran for mayor. They wanted to replace the mayor, Sly James, who could not run again. The race came down to Lucas and another city council member, Jolie Justus. Lucas won with about 59% of the votes.
In August 2020, some citizens were unhappy with Lucas's rules about masks during the COVID-19 pandemic. They said the rules hurt small businesses. They tried to remove him from office, but they did not succeed.
In June 2021, Lucas helped start a group of 11 mayors. It is called Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity (MORE). This group works to create programs that address reparations for slavery in the United States.
He is also a member of the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners. In 2023, he was re-elected as mayor of Kansas City. He won with 80.5% of the votes.
Personal Life
Quinton Lucas is a big fan of the Kansas City Chiefs football team. He reportedly takes detailed notes on how Kansas City sports teams play.
He married his longtime girlfriend, Katherine Carttar, on April 9, 2021. From 2018 to 2022, she worked as the Director of Economic Development in Kansas City, Kansas. This city is next to his own area. In April 2021, their first son, Bennett, was born. They had a second son, Quinton Carttar, in June 2024.
See also
- List of mayors of the 50 largest cities in the United States
