Mayor Q Outlines KC Priorities

Commenting that the Agricultural Business Council’s Annual Meeting and Luncheon in December has become something of a regular event for him in his first term in office, Mayor Quinton Lucas expressed his fondness for the ag industry and the people in it. He described his interaction with ag businesses and groups as open, instructive, honest and productive. The mayor also noted that his association with agriculture has given him a better understanding of Land Grant colleges and a realization of how vital they are.

Mayor Lucas reported there are a lot of “good things happening” in Kansas City, not the least of them being the opening of the renovated, modernized KCI airport. He mentioned that soft openings of some aspects of the operations would be taking place within weeks. Then he guaranteed that all facilities, operations and services would be available – as scheduled – to handle the March Spring Break onslaught of family travel. “But,” asked the mayor rhetorically, “how can you be sure that will happen?” His answer: Because the 2023 mayoral primary election campaign gets underway in March. And the mayor is not about to renege on a campaign promise when he first ran for mayor in 2019 that the new KCI would be open by then.

The new airport is responsible in part for many opportunities emerging for Kansas City and the region.  Mayor Lucas pointed to the NFL Draft in April 2023 and the World Cup in 2026, among others. Kansas City is now in a position to attract more international flights, in particular trans-Atlantic flights. Regional growth in population and industry more than warrants increased direct and non-stop service across the Atlantic, the mayor said.

Calling it potentially his most important decision in his mayoral term thus far, Mayor Lucas hinted that selection a new police chief was close to being announced. (He remained mum while addressing Council members; but the next day it was announced that veteran Kansas City police officer Stacey Graves would be police chief.) The mayor has prioritized public safety. To learn more about policing, he has spent time  riding with police officers in a number of major cities around the country to understand what is involved in maintaining safe communities.   

Education is high on the mayor’s list of concerns and priorities. The city is pleased with the progress several school districts in the area are making.  Mayor Lucas wants the city to be more involved with community colleges and would like to see school districts collaborate more with community colleges and trade schools in an effort to offer a broader range of opportunities for students.

Another concern that needs attention is homelessness and affordable housing. Creating effective programs to deal with the situation, said the mayor, call for revising current policy that focuses too strongly on policing homelessness and raiding homeless communities. The challenge, he said, is not to study where high rise structures can be built. “We need to figure out ‘where we need to build’ affordable, single family housing.” Mayor Lucas suggests part of the solution might involve programs to rehabilitate existing housing.

Overall, Mayor Lucas is upbeat about the future of Kansas City and the region. “Things are going well,” he said.