Independence will swear in a new mayor April 20 — a new face to politics who vows to empower residents to make their voices heard.
Kevin King, a former union leader, was elected Tuesday with roughly 60% of the vote. He has never held elected office before.
His win came to some as a surprise: His opponent, Bridget McCandless, beat King by 17 points in February’s primary.
But at the center of Independence’s election this spring was a controversial AI data center project, which the city council awarded $6 billion in tax breaks despite strong public opposition. While both candidates supported building the data center, King also believed the project should be put to a public vote — an effort that Independence leaders shot down.
“I believe in the democratic process, and that is important to me,” King told KCUR’s Up To Date.
Voters on Tuesday rejected both McCandless and Jared Fears, an at-large councilmember seeking re-election who also supported the tax breaks.
King promised to place transparency and civic engagement at the center of his administration. He says he wants to implement town halls across Independence to make constituents feel heard.
“I'm big on hearing, to listening to the people and hearing what they have to say,” King said. “Respect their voices. And you know, if we disagree, we need to sit at the table and work things out.”
- Kevin King, Independence mayor-elect
