mayor

Kevin King, a former union leader, was elected as mayor of Independence on Tuesday over a city council member who supported an AI data center deal. King has never held political office before, and says he wants residents to be engaged and feel heard in city government.

Independence, Missouri, residents will vote on April 7 for their next mayor and to fill two at-large city council seats. Recent debates over tax incentives for a massive data center could factor into the races.

Incumbent Curt Skoog beats former city council colleague Faris Farassati in the Overland Park mayoral race, while other moderate and left-leaning city council candidates pull ahead.

This year’s candidates for mayor include a 30-year attorney and a nonprofit executive. They told The Beacon about the biggest issues facing Wyandotte County, including property taxes, public safety, staff culture and affordability.

Voters in Prairie Village, Kansas, will be faced with an unusual question on their ballots in about three months: Shall the city abandon the mayor-council form of government? We'll hear about how a fight over zoning and housing wound up in a legal battle over the city government's structure itself.

The group leading the effort to recall Mayor Eric Mikkelson opposed the city's efforts to increase affordable housing options. On Monday, the group said they failed to get the required number of signatures to force a recall vote.

Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn announced last summer that she wouldn't run for re-election. She'll officially leave office when newly-elected mayor Marc Elkins is sworn in on Jan. 2.

Before Tuesday's inauguration for a second term as the mayor of Kansas City, Quinton Lucas held a community listening session for mothers who have been affected by gun violence. He also announced new proposed intervention efforts and restrictions on firearms for minors.

Mayor Quinton Lucas, who was recently re-elected to another four-year term, will be paid $163,082 a year. Council members, who are considered part-time employees, increased their salaries to $81,538, although a majority of current members won't be sticking around to enjoy the bump.

Mayor Quinton Lucas easily defeated his opponent, Clay Chastain, to serve another four years as Kansas City's mayor. He joined Up To Date to discuss challenges the city faces and the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said a graphic designer can refuse to serve same-sex couples.

After Kansas City declared itself a sanctuary city for gender-affirming care, Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey opined to the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners that they must enforce a ban on gender affirming care. But Mayor Quinton Lucas says the city won't budge on that issue.

Mayor Michael Boehm will retire after serving five terms as Lenexa's mayor — the longest serving mayor in the city's history. Since he took office, the city's population has grown by nearly 20,000 residents and the downtown has been reimagined.