Quinton Donald Lucas (born August 19, 1984)[1] is an American politician elected in 2019 as the 55th mayor of Kansas City, Missouri. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and 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 a volunteer instructor at prisons in New York and Kansas, where he taught courses on constitutional law.[2]
Early life and education
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 her son "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. He 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 attended Cornell Law School, 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]
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]
His primary focus in city council became housing policy. He advocated for the development of new housing supply and the renovation of existing properties.[11] 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.[12] Lucas said "$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."[13]
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 said, "I think the spirit of the Sunshine Law is not for council to deliberate on myriad issues on public policy in secret."[14]
In late August 2020, a group of citizens criticized Lucas's COVID-19 pandemic mask regulations as harmful to small businesses[17] and ran a failed petition to remove him from office.[18]
He is a member of the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners.[21]
He was re-elected mayor of Kansas City in 2023, with 80.5% of the vote.[22]
Personal life
Lucas is a lifelong fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, reportedly taking detailed notes on the performances of Kansas City sports teams.[23]
He married his longtime girlfriend Katherine Carttar on April 9, 2021. From 2018 to 2022, she was the Director of Economic Development in Kansas City, Kansas, which is adjacent to his jurisdiction.[24] That month, their son, Bennett, was born.[25] They had a second son, Quinton Carttar, in June 2024.[26]
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