Quinton Lucas To Be Next KC Mayor

A 34-year-old man whose family was homeless at times during his childhood in Kansas City, Missouri, will become the city’s 55th mayor.

Unofficial results show Quinton Lucas leading fellow City Council member Jolie Justus in a mayoral runoff. He will assume office in August, replacing Sly James who served two four-year-terms.

Despite poverty and homelessness, Lucas earned academic scholarships to Washington University in St. Louis and Cornell Law School. He is a lawyer and member of the University of Kansas law faculty who was elected to the City Council in 2015.

Lucas pledged during the campaign to bring an outsider mentality to the mayor’s office. He said he would work to reduce crime, increase affordable housing and to steer development projects to underserved areas.