Kansas City Mayor

Kansas City voters are narrowing the field for mayor and city council seats in redrawn council districts. Plus, residents will decide whether to approve taxes on recreational marijuana and Airbnbs.

A primary contest in April kicks off a 2023 election cycle that will add several new members to the Kansas City Council, the results of which could affect the direction of the city and Mayor Quinton Lucas’ agenda.

Rejecting a consultant’s recommendation that would save money and delays, Jackson County officials said Tuesday the county is open to sharing space and services at the site of the new detention center already being built on the city’s eastside.

Kansas City Council overwhelmingly voted Thursday to adopt a new municipal flag. A prominent flag expert agrees that the city's current design was in need of a reboot, and says the new one is a major improvement.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says that millions of dollars in revenue could be generated if voters in April approve taxes on recreational marijuana and short-term rentals. But how would that money be used?

Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas discusses a bombshell whistleblower complaint from a former KCPD lawyer, who alleges the police department hid criminal case evidence and illegally withheld public records. He also criticizes how the police board is conducting the hiring process for a new chief.

Mayor Quinton Lucas says allegations made by a former Kansas City Police Department attorney that the department withheld evidence in criminal cases and denied public records requests is “troubling” and could trigger further federal oversight of the department.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says the Board of Police Commissioners could choose the KCPD's next police chief as soon as Tuesday, but he has "not made a decision" on who he will support for the position.

If approved, Question 2 on the citywide ballot would authorize Kansas City to issue a $50 million bond, which could help fund more than 2,000 new affordable housing units. But the measure does not include continual funding for the city's housing trust fund.

"I think we need to do a better job of understanding what are the concerns — particularly of Black officers," says Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas in response to the Department of Justice's probe into the Kansas City Police Department.

The six-lane U.S. Highway 71 separated Kansas City's predominantly-Black neighborhoods from downtown. A $5 million federal grant will study what can be done to reconnect those communities and improve pedestrian safety at intersections.

Police departments have tapped only $14,647 from the fund. Police in Kansas City have used some of the money to rent hotel rooms for crime victims who would be in danger if they remained in their residence.